vegan

noun

veg·​an ˈvē-gən How to pronounce vegan (audio)
also
ˈvā- How to pronounce vegan (audio)
also
ˈve-jən How to pronounce vegan (audio)
or
-ˌjan How to pronounce vegan (audio)
: a strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals
also : one who abstains from using animal products (such as leather)
vegan adjective
vegan desserts
a vegan restaurant

Did you know?

The Difference Between Vegetarian, Vegan, and Other Diets

The word vegetarian sprouted up in 1839. Fruitarian ("a person who lives on fruit") ripened by 1893. In 1944, vegetarians who consume no animal or dairy products began calling themselves vegans. Then, in 1993, those who eat fish but no other meat chose pesce, the Italian word for "fish," to create the designation pescatarian. In that same year, meatatarian was served up as a word for those whose diet largely includes meat; that word is rare, however, and is usually used in informal and humorous ways, making it the type of fare not included in our dictionaries. Another fairly recent dietary word is flexitarian, a person who follows a mostly vegetarian diet but occasionally eats meat or fish.

Examples of vegan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sweets such as homemade vegan sugar cookies, homemade Rollos and peanut butter balls are a sustainable alternative to storebought treats, the platform said. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2024 The city’s food truck and vegan scenes were also highlighted and awarded in recent years, as was its pizza scene (much to the dismay of New Yorkers). Will McGough, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 Avocado also sells a vegan mattress that incorporates cotton in lieu of the Green mattress’s wool. Renee Cherry, SELF, 26 Oct. 2024 American Airlines will add oat milk creamer to its in-flight menu after animal welfare advocates successfully petitioned the carrier to introduce a vegan creamer option. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vegan 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vegan.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

by contraction from vegetarian entry 1

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vegan was in 1944

Dictionary Entries Near vegan

Cite this Entry

“Vegan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegan. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

vegan

noun
veg·​an ˈvē-gən How to pronounce vegan (audio)
: a strict vegetarian who does not use animals or dairy products for food
vegan adjective
veganism noun

Medical Definition

vegan

noun
: a strict vegetarian who consumes no animal food or dairy products
vegan adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on vegan

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!