cream

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat
2
a
: a food prepared with cream
b
: something having the consistency of cream
especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation
3
: the choicest part : best
There were ten men in my boat, and they were the cream of Company L.Jack London
They were still the cream of the crop, socially surpassing not only their constituents but also their colleagues in Congress.Edmund S. Morgan
4
5
a
: a pale yellow
b
: a cream-colored animal

cream

2 of 2

verb

creamed; creaming; creams

intransitive verb

1
: to form cream or a surface layer like the cream on standing milk
2
: to break into or cause something to break into a creamy froth
also : to move like froth

transitive verb

1
b
: to remove (something choice) from an aggregate
she has creamed off her favorite stories from her earlier booksThe Times Literary Supplement (London)
2
: to furnish, prepare, or treat with cream
also : to dress with a cream sauce
3
a
: to beat into a creamy froth
b
: to work or blend to the consistency of cream
cream butter and sugar together
c
: to cause to form a surface layer of or like cream
4
a
: to defeat decisively
was creamed in the first round
b
: wreck
creamed the car on the turnpike
c
: to hit with force : smash
the quarterback got creamed by the pass rush

Examples of cream in a Sentence

Noun Would you like some cream in your coffee? hot chocolate with whipped cream a chocolate candy with a vanilla cream center The doctor prescribed a new cream for the rash. a cabinet full of special creams and pills Verb Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the eggs. the head-on collision creamed the brand-new car in an instant
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The available colorways—including a muted forest green, cream, and simple black—are understated yet stylish. Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, 11 Nov. 2024 Men's Grooming Kit Gift Set This four-piece gift includes a 4-ounce face wash, a 4-ounce beard and scruff cream, a 1.5-ounce beard oil, and a dry brush. Christina Shepherd McGuire, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
White, black, brown, and cream all pair well with a muted green color. Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Oct. 2024 Swift wore a Gucci GG net corset in navy blue and cream that retails for $1,650, and a black leather mini skirt paired with a Polo Ralph Lauren camel hair coat and a pair of black Louis Vuitton Roxy platform boots. Escher Walcott, People.com, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cream 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English creyme, crayme, creme, borrowed from Anglo-French creme, creime (continental Old French craime, cresme), going back to Late Latin crama, going back to a presumed Gaulish cognate of Welsh cramen "scab, crust, layer," Breton kramm, krammenn "(layer of) grime" and perhaps Irish screamh "deposit on a surface, crust, scum," from a Celtic etymon of uncertain shape and origin

Note: The Gallo-Romance word (compare 16th-century Occitan of Provence cresma "cream") has been formally influenced by the outcomes of Late Latin chrisma chrism. In Modern French the two words are separated only by spelling: crème "cream," chrême "chrism."

Verb

derivative of cream entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cream was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near cream

Cite this Entry

“Cream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cream. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cream

1 of 2 noun
1
: the yellowish part of milk containing butterfat
2
a
: a food prepared with cream
cream soup
b
: something having about the same thickness as cream
hand cream
3
: the best part
the cream of the crop
4
: a pale yellow

cream

2 of 2 verb
1
: to skim the cream from
2
: to put cream into
cream tea
3
: to stir or blend until soft and smooth

Medical Definition

cream

noun
1
: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat
2
: something having the consistency of cream
especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation
creamy adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on cream

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