caramelize
verb
car·a·mel·ize
ˈkär-mə-ˌlīz 
ˈker-ə-mə-,
ˈka-rə-mə-
caramelized; caramelizing
1
transitive
: to subject (sugar or the sugar content of a food) to caramelization : to change into caramel (see caramel sense 1) by heating at high temperature
… flan bathed in caramelized sugar and topped with whipped cream …—
Penelope Casas
Penelope CasasAt a restaurant, some unlucky prep cook gets to peel, slice, and caramelize bags of onions in the morning.—Stephanie Alleyne
Stephanie Alleyne2
intransitive
: to change to caramel
Fructose begins to rapidly caramelize at around 200 degrees …—Matthew Card
: to undergo caramelization
Matthew CardThese sweet potatoes caramelize slightly in the oven, which gives them a sweet crunch as their flesh remains creamy.—Lesley Porcelli
Lesley PorcelliExamples of caramelize in a Sentence
The onions will take five minutes to caramelize.
Caramelize two cups of sugar.
Continue stirring until the sugar caramelizes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Valastro uses his spoon to carefully scoop up the banana custard, vanilla wafers, caramelized banana and some of the fractured shell.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
Dinner included a filet and salmon duet entrée, as well as a chocolate mousse and roasted almond sponge with brown butter sable and caramelized nuts as desserts.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2024
The cornflakes piled on top are honey-roasted, sticky and caramelized, making this one a leader in the W.C.M.N.C. (white chocolate macadamia nut cookie) field.
—Becky Hughes, New York Times, 23 May 2024
The food menu revolves around pintxos, Spanish snacks like anchovies in olive oil and vinegar, or caramelized onions with goat cheese and balsamic.
—Kendyl Kearly, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caramelize 
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
Dinner included a filet and salmon duet entrée, as well as a chocolate mousse and roasted almond sponge with brown butter sable and caramelized nuts as desserts.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2024
The cornflakes piled on top are honey-roasted, sticky and caramelized, making this one a leader in the W.C.M.N.C. (white chocolate macadamia nut cookie) field.
—Becky Hughes, New York Times, 23 May 2024
The food menu revolves around pintxos, Spanish snacks like anchovies in olive oil and vinegar, or caramelized onions with goat cheese and balsamic.
—Kendyl Kearly, Baltimore Sun, 26 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for caramelize
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caramelize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near caramelize
Cite this Entry
“Caramelize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caramelize. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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