toffee

American  

[taw-fee, tof-ee] / ˈtɔ fi, ˈtɒf i /

Sometimes toffy

noun

1. a brittle or chewy brown candy made of sugar or molasses boiled down with butter, often mixed with nuts.

2. British. taffy.

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toffee British  

/ ˈtɒfɪ /

noun

1. a sweet made from sugar or treacle boiled with butter, nuts, etc

2. informal (preceded by can't) to be incompetent at a specified activity

   he can't sing for toffee

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Etymology

Origin of toffee

First recorded in 1860–65; the earlier variants toughy, tuffy were first recorded in 1825–30 ; southern British dialect form of original northern British dialect taffy ( def. ); further origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does toffee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• toffee vs. caramel

Example Sentences

Rodrigo confessed her love of British culture throughout, including Marks and Spencer's Colin the Caterpillar and also admitted she'd got through "three sticky toffee puddings" since arriving on Worthy Farm.

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

At Joy, also in Maryland, executive pastry chef Genesis Flores has put ube soft serve on the menu, coupled with salted peanut caramel, lemon-ginger syrup, honeycomb toffee, bee pollen and wae pieces.

From Salon • May 16, 2024

Slabs of roast pork, skin as brittle and sweet as toffee and bathed in vinegar garlic sauce at Dominican spots in Washington Heights.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024

Granted, you can totally buy toffee bits from the store and omit the process of making them yourself, but I promise you that homemade toffee is so much better.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 12, 2024

I chew my toffee till it melts and leaves my mouth all sweet and sticky.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt