What does "candy" mean?
Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup.
Candy
/ˈkæn.di/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup.
- Grammar: candy is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: sweets, addictive drug, blancmange, bonbon.
- Useful contrasts: bitter, deterrent, disincentive.
- Usage evidence: Someday I will buy a cotton candy machine.
How to use "candy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "candy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "candy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "candy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "candy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "candy" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "sweets" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "candy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup. uncountable
- 2 A unit of weight used in southern India, equal to twenty maunds, roughly equal to 500 pounds avoirdupois but varying locally. obsolete
- 3 a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts wordnet
- 4 Edible, sweet-tasting confectionery containing sugar, or sometimes artificial sweeteners, and often flavored with fruit, chocolate, nuts, herbs and spices, or artificial flavors. Canada, Philippines, US, uncountable
"They came down to buy sugar, flour, saltfish or candy from Nana, to collect letters and exchange gossip."
- 5 A piece of confectionery of this kind. Canada, Philippines, US, countable
"Unwholesome pink and yellow candies were sold from trays."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 crack cocaine. US, countable, slang, uncountable
- 7 An accessory (bracelet, etc.) made from pony beads, associated with the rave scene. uncountable
"candy kid; candy raver"
Verb
- 1 To cook in or coat with sugar syrup. transitive
- 2 coat with something sweet, such as a hard sugar glaze wordnet
- 3 To form into congelations or crystals, especially of sugar or syrup. intransitive
"Fruits preserved in sugar candy over time."
- 4 To become candy; to solidify into a candylike form or mass. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A pet form of the female given name Candace or Candice.
- 2 The Mediterranean island of Crete. historical
"Assure thy selfe that as for me I never will agree That Candie Joves owne foster place (as long as I there raigne) Shall unto such a monstruous Wight a Harbrow place remaine."
- 3 The Kingdom of Kandy on the island now known as Sri Lanka; (by extension) the British colony of Ceylon on that island. historical
"Mr. W. H. GREGORY, the accomplished Member for Galway, goes to Ceylon as Governor. […] A pleasant exile, and a safe return, are Mr. Punch’s sweet wishes to him who departeth for Candy."
- 4 A surname.
"Suddenly, to his horror, Mr Candy found himself in what Ma would have called a terrible two-and-eight."
- 5 The city of Kandy, the capital of that kingdom. historical
"The First is the City of Candy, so generally called by the Christians, probably from Conde, which in the Chingulays Language signifies Hills, for among them it is situated […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Someday I will buy a cotton candy machine."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "candy"?
Common synonyms include: sweets, addictive drug, blancmange, bonbon, bonbons, bribe.
How do you use "candy" in a sentence?
Someday I will buy a cotton candy machine.
How do you pronounce "candy"?
Pronounced /ˈkæn.di/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sugre candy, from Old French sucre candi (literally “candied sugar”), from Arabic سُكَّر قَنْدِي (sukkar qandī), from Arabic قَنْد (qand, “rock candy”), from Persian کند (kand) from Sanskrit खण्ड (khaṇḍa, “piece, fragment, candied sugar, dried molasses”), root खण्ड् (khaṇḍ, “to divide, break into pieces”), or from Proto-Dravidian *kaṇṭu; compare Tamil கண்டு (kaṇṭu, “hard candy”).
Etymology 2
From Marathi खंडी (khaṇḍī), from Sanskrit खण्डन (khaṇḍana), from root खण्ड् (khaṇḍ, “to divide, break into pieces”).
Etymology 3
From Venetan and Latin Candia, from Ancient Greek Χάνδαξ (Khándax) or Χάνδακας (Khándakas), from Arabic رَبْض الخَنْدَق (rabḍ al-ḵandaq) (in particular Arabic خَنْدَق (ḵandaq), borrowed from Middle Persian *handag (whence Classical Persian هندک (handak, “moat”))), name of the Cretan city of Heraklion under the Emirate of Crete.
Etymology 4
From Portuguese Candea, from Tamil கண்டி (kaṇṭi), possibly further from Sinhalese, ultimately from Sanskrit खण्ड (khaṇḍa).