any of a variety of confections made with sugar, syrup, etc., often combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, etc.
a single piece of such a confection.
Slang. cocaine.
someone or something that is pleasing or pleasurable, usually in a superficial way (often used in combination).
The show is candy, but enjoy it for what it is.
to cook in sugar or syrup, as sweet potatoes or carrots.
to cook in heavy syrup until transparent, as fruit, fruit peel, or ginger.
to reduce (sugar, syrup, etc.) to a crystalline form, usually by boiling down.
to coat with sugar.
to candy dates.
to make sweet, palatable, or agreeable.
to become covered with sugar.
to crystallize into sugar.
confectionery in general; sweets, chocolate, etc
a person or thing that is regarded as being attractive but superficial
arm candy
informal very easy to accomplish
to cause (sugar, etc) to become crystalline, esp by boiling or (of sugar) to become crystalline through boiling
to preserve (fruit peel, ginger, etc) by boiling in sugar
to cover with any crystalline substance, such as ice or sugar
1225–75; Middle English candi, sugre candi candied sugar < Middle French sucre candi; candi ≪ Arabic qandī < Persian qandi sugar < Sanskrit khaṇḍakaḥ sugar candy
Candy is a sugary sweet treat. Halloween is partly about dressing up in costumes, but mostly it's about the candy. Your favorite candy may be sweet and fruity, or so sour you can barely stand to eat it. Other people prefer chocolate when it comes to candy. Candy is also a verb, meaning "coat with a sugary glaze," — you might candy cherries or almonds. And when something's made of candy, the word becomes an adjective: "But it's only a candy cigarette!" The word comes from the Arabic qandi, with its Persian root quand, "cane sugar."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The candy maker is trying to re-create M&M’s without artificial colors, but blue’s natural algae substitute is complex and costly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
Blue proved arduous to re-create affordably and at scale, plus the candy maker couldn’t reliably churn out brown M&M’s, which, it turns out, include a fair bit of blue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
The hotel today includes 238 guest rooms, four restaurants, two lounges, two chapels, a spa, pool and candy shop.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
The food and drink offerings lean playful and nostalgic, with cotton candy, popcorn, loaded milkshakes, cocktails, mocktails and plenty of other treats to keep the fun going between games.
From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026
The factory had once manufactured candy, which was how Operation Gumdrop got its name.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
