taffy
noun
a chewy candy made of sugar or corn syrup boiled down with butter or oil, pulled or stretched back and forth to incorporate air bubbles, then rolled, twisted, and cut into pieces.
taffy
American
[taf-ee]
/ ˈtæf i /
noun
-
taffies
plural
-
a chewy candy made of sugar or corn syrup boiled down with butter or oil, pulled or stretched back and forth to incorporate air bubbles, then rolled, twisted, and cut into pieces.
-
Informal. flattery.
taffy
1
British
/ ˈtæfɪ /
noun
-
a chewy sweet made of brown sugar or molasses and butter, boiled and then pulled so that it becomes glossy
-
a less common term for toffee
Taffy
2
British
/ ˈtæfɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of taffy
First recorded in 1815–25; northern English dialect variant of toffee; see origin at toffee ( def. )
Explanation
Taffy is a very sweet, chewy candy. You can find brightly colored boxes of taffy in tourist gift shops. Taffy is made by repeatedly stretching a mixture of boiled sugar, butter, and flavoring. The stretching, or "pulling" of taffy is what gives it a light, chewy consistency. In coastal towns, it's usually called "salt water taffy," a name that was coined in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the 1920s. While salt is often an ingredient in salt water taffy, it doesn't actually contain any salt water.
Vocabulary lists containing taffy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Before starring in “Severance” and “Parks and Recreation,” actor Adam Scott was a self-described outcast making saltwater taffy on the Santa Cruz, Calif., boardwalk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The term describes how the crust stretches and thins in the middle, similar to the narrowed "neck" that forms when a piece of saltwater taffy is pulled apart.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2026
The Swiss cheese stretched like taffy when you pulled a slider apart.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2025
It’s basically taffy with a peanut butter center, a joyous merger that has been made since the 1970s by Annabelle Candy Co. in Hayward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
Neither boy was faster than Mr. Flux, who moved like snakes, and living taffy, and malignant rubber bands, slender and stretched.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
While Joel Beckett, who played Dawn Tinsley's fiancé Lee, and David Schaal, who played Glynn, also known as Taffy, spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about what it was like to film the show.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Thus began my hunt for signs of Choc-O’s afterlife, including visits to retro candy stores stocking hard-to-find Bonomo Turkish Taffy, Zagnut bars and Beemans chewing gum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
In a fantastic New York Times profile from 2020, features writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner began to get at the heart of Kilmer’s eccentricity.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2025
In their changing room, they snack on Red Vines, Laffy Taffy and Skittles — hitting pregame sugar highs like kids on Halloween.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2024
“Awesome!” said Miguel, hurrying over to admire the collection of Everlasting Gobstoppers, Glumptious Globgobblers, Laffy Taffy, and Pixy Stix displayed under glass in a sea of purple velvet.
From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein
They always flew along the wires of this place like a kettle of jeweled hawks, cresting over the rooftops of turreted houses and quaint shops all stuck together like assorted taffies.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
When coloring taffies, this must be done in the pan; liquid colors are best; trouble will be saved if used in the following order.
From The Candy Maker's Guide A Collection of Choice Recipes for Sugar Boiling by Fletcher Manufacturing Company
On this reposed a box of taffies and a plate of apples.
From Betty Lee, Sophomore by Harriet Pyne Grove
In pulling taffies or other candies, corn starch may be put to good use.
From Candy-Making Revolutionized Confectionery from Vegetables by Mary Elizabeth Hall
This is the degree which is used, with little variation, for all kinds of drops, taffies, and all clear goods, whether for the purpose of passing through machines or manipulating with the hands.
From The Candy Maker's Guide A Collection of Choice Recipes for Sugar Boiling by Fletcher Manufacturing Company
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
