caramel

caramel — noun

1. a thick, dark-brown, sweet liquid made by heating sugar with a little water, use

1.nounB1
Definition

a thick, dark-brown, sweet liquid made by heating sugar with a little water, used to add flavour and colour to food or as a topping on desserts.

Example

Leila poured warm caramel over the vanilla ice cream.

collocation: pour caramel over [food]

The recipe asks for three tablespoons of caramel sauce.

collocation: caramel sauce

Common collocations
  • caramel sauce
  • caramel topping
  • caramel colouring
  • pour caramel
  • drizzle caramel
  • make caramel
  • warm caramel
  • liquid caramel
Synonyms
  • butterscotch

    a similar sauce made with brown sugar and butter; slightly lighter in colour and more buttery in taste

  • caramel syrup

    a thinner, more processed version often used in drinks

Usage Note

This sense is uncountable — you cannot say 'a caramel' to mean this liquid. Use 'a caramel sauce' or 'some caramel' instead.

Common Mistakes

I added a caramel to the coffee.
I added caramel to the coffee.
The liquid ingredient is uncountable; omit the article.

2. a small, soft, sticky sweet made by heating sugar together with butter, milk, or

2.nounB1
Definition

a small, soft, sticky sweet made by heating sugar together with butter, milk, or cream, often cut into cubes or wrapped in paper.

Example

Ravi bought a bag of soft caramels at the corner shop.

plural: caramels as individual sweets

These caramels are made with butter and fresh cream.

Common collocations
  • soft caramels
  • chewy caramels
  • salted caramels
  • chocolate-covered caramels
  • a bag of caramels
  • homemade caramels
Synonyms
  • toffee

    a firmer, chewier sweet made with butter and sugar but cooked longer; less creamy than caramel

  • chewy caramel

    emphasises the sticky, soft texture of this kind of sweet

Usage Note

This sense can be countable (a caramel / two caramels = individual sweets) or uncountable (some caramel = the substance itself). In Taiwan, the individual sweets are often called '牛奶糖' rather than '焦糖'.

Common Mistakes

I ate caramel for dessert.' (ambiguous).
I ate a caramel for dessert.
Use the countable form when referring to one individual sweet.

Word family

  • caramelize
    verbB2
  • caramelized
    adjectiveB2
  • caramelization
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Caramel (焦糖) is made by heating white sugar with water until it browns, creating a sweet, slightly bitter flavour used in sauces, desserts, and drinks. Butterscotch is a related but distinct sauce made with brown sugar and butter, giving it a richer, creamier, and sweeter taste — often used in puddings and candies. Toffee is firmer and chewier than caramel candy, cooked to a higher temperature so it hardens, and has a deeper, more buttery flavour. Caramel syrup is a thinner, pourable version sold in bottles, typically used for flavouring coffee or cocktails rather than for baking or candy-making. For example, a caramel latte uses caramel syrup, not butterscotch — while a caramel apple is dipped in cooked caramel sauce, not toffee.

caramel ↗butterscotchtoffeecaramel syrup

Common collocations

Nouns

  • caramel apple
  • caramel candy
  • caramel colour
  • caramel flavour
  • caramel sauce
  • caramel topping

Phrases

  • caramel macchiato
  • crème caramel
  • salted caramel

Prepositions

  • caramel with salt
  • caramel in coffee

Etymology

Late LatinPortugueseSpanishFrenchEnglish

Caramel entered English from French 'caramel' in the early 1700s, which came from Spanish 'caramelo'. The Spanish term likely came from Portuguese 'caramelo' (meaning a frozen sweet or icicle), which itself traces back to Late Latin 'calamellus' (a small reed), because early sugar confections were shaped like small tubes or reeds. The modern meaning — first for the cooked-sugar flavouring and then for the chewy candy — developed in the 19th century.