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yogurt

American  
[yoh-gert] / ˈjoʊ gərt /
Or yoghurt

noun

  • yogurts
    plural
  1. a tart, custardlike food made from milk curdled by the action of bacterial cultures, sometimes sweetened or flavored.


yogurt British  
/ ˈjəʊɡət, ˈjɒɡ- /

noun

  1. a thick custard-like food prepared from milk that has been curdled by bacteria, often sweetened and flavoured with fruit, chocolate, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of yogurt

First recorded in 1615–25; from Turkish yoğurt

Explanation

Yogurt is a creamy, slightly sour food that many people like to eat for breakfast. Frozen yogurt also makes a delicious dessert — especially with plenty of chocolate sprinkles. Yogurt is basically fermented milk, made thick and creamy by lactic acid and bacteria — it may not sound very appetizing described that way, but yogurt is a tasty food made even more delectable by the addition of sweeteners and fruit, or in savory dishes by salt and spices. And yogurt is good for you, adding healthy bacteria to your digestive system. The word comes from the Turkish yoǧurt, from a root meaning "condense."

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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:

Vegetarian food influencers demonstrate non-meat ways to increase protein in everyday meals with Greek yogurt, beans and cottage cheese.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 22, 2026

Streptococcus thermophilus, which is also commonly used as a yogurt starter, remained dominant in the semi-soft and harder cheeses throughout the maturation process.

From Science Daily Aug. 17, 2026

A red cartoon hunk of steak, a bronzed turkey, a few shrimp, a tub of unsweetened yogurt, an apple and a bag of frozen peas cascade alongside him.

From Salon Aug. 5, 2026

There were empty spaces in the yogurt sections of other stores, too.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 3, 2026

And then I make out what he’s talking about: yogurt.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

The company, which also owns Activia, sells other flavored Dannon yogurts, including vanilla, blueberry and strawberry.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 3, 2026

But keep away from artificially flavored yogurts with added sugars.

From MarketWatch Jun. 21, 2026

Although the concept of flavored yogurts has existed for millennia across the diaspora, raita is believed to have first appeared in print around the 19th century.

From Salon Mar. 28, 2026

Odors in low-fat yogurts can make them feel richer and thicker on the palate without adding more emulsifiers.

From Science Daily Feb. 9, 2026

He’s got Mom’s robe and some of those yogurts she likes in a plastic bag.

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

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