macaroni

American  

[mak-uh-roh-nee] / ˌmæk əˈroʊ ni /

Or maccaroni

noun

plural

macaronis, macaronies

1. small, tubular pasta prepared from wheat flour.

2. an English dandy of the 18th century who affected Continental mannerisms, clothes, etc.

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macaroni British  

/ ˌmækəˈrəʊnɪ /

noun

1. pasta tubes made from wheat flour

2. (in 18th-century Britain) a dandy who affected foreign manners and style

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Etymology

Origin of macaroni

1590–1600; earlier maccaroni < dialectal Italian, plural of maccarone ( Italian maccherone ). See macaroon

Explanation

Macaroni is a short, skinny, tube-shaped pasta. Many kids — and adults — would name "macaroni and cheese" as one of their favorite foods. At some Italian restaurants, you can order macaroni as a side dish, and it's easy to cook at home with tomato sauce or butter and cheese. Macaroni and cheese can be cooked on the stove or baked in the oven with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. Macaroni began to have the second meaning of "fop" or "dandy" around 1780, named for the well-traveled youths who ate what was considered fancy and exotic at the time — macaroni.

Example Sentences

A lemonless macaroni soup in “The Modern Cook,” by the Victorian chef Charles Elmé Francatelli, is inexplicably called “lemony” and gets a “remapping” with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Brands such as Oscar Mayer and Maxwell House posed even bigger challenges than macaroni and cheese.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026

There is value in creating a more focused business in sauces and condiments, but I’m confused as to why they added other categories such as macaroni and cheese.

From Barron's • Oct. 16, 2025

Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer’s directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone.

From Salon • Nov. 20, 2019

My food stash has gone down by a box of macaroni.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

Related Words

• penne
• spaghetti
• tortellini