cream

1 of 2

noun

ˈkrēm 

often attributive

1

: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat

2

a

: a food prepared with cream

b

: something having the consistency of cream

especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation

3

: the choicest part : best

There were ten men in my boat, and they were the cream of Company L.

—Jack London

They were still the cream of the crop, socially surpassing not only their constituents but also their colleagues in Congress.

—Edmund S. Morgan

4

: creamer sense 1

5

a

: a pale yellow

b

: a cream-colored animal

cream

2 of 2

verb

creamed; creaming; creams

intransitive verb

1

: to form cream or a surface layer like the cream on standing milk

2

: to break into or cause something to break into a creamy froth

also : to move like froth

transitive verb

1

a

: skim sense 1c

b

: to remove (something choice) from an aggregate

she has creamed off her favorite stories from her earlier books

—The Times Literary Supplement (London)

2

: to furnish, prepare, or treat with cream

also : to dress with a cream sauce

3

a

: to beat into a creamy froth

b

: to work or blend to the consistency of cream

cream butter and sugar together

c

: to cause to form a surface layer of or like cream

4

a

: to defeat decisively

was creamed in the first round

b

: wreck

creamed the car on the turnpike

c

: to hit with force : smash

the quarterback got creamed by the pass rush

Synonyms

Noun

• A-list
• aristocracy
• best
• choice
• corps d'elite
• crème de la crème
• elect
• elite
• fat
• flower
• illuminati
• pick
• pink
• pride
• priesthood
• prime
• royalty
• upper crust

Verb

• annihilate
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• vaporize
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of cream in a Sentence

Noun

Would you like some cream in your coffee?

hot chocolate with whipped cream

a chocolate candy with a vanilla cream center

The doctor prescribed a new cream for the rash.

a cabinet full of special creams and pills

Verb

Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the eggs.

the head-on collision creamed the brand-new car in an instant

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While the recent Raw Farm recall included only raw milk and cream, the California Department of Public Health urged people to avoid consuming any Raw Farm products, including cheese and kefir. —Dani Blum, New York Times, 7 Dec. 2024

The dairy subsequently recalled all of its raw milk and cream products from stores due to possible bird flu contamination. —Kerry E. Kaylegian, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024

Verb

Just your traditional method of first creaming the butter and sugar, then adding in liquid ingredients followed by the dry ones. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 7 Dec. 2024

Take over-the-counter (OTC) creams: Anti-itch lotions, such as calamine lotions, can help relieve itching and discomfort. —Lindsay Curtis, Health, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English creyme, crayme, creme, borrowed from Anglo-French creme, creime (continental Old French craime, cresme), going back to Late Latin crama, going back to a presumed Gaulish cognate of Welsh cramen "scab, crust, layer," Breton kramm, krammenn "(layer of) grime" and perhaps Irish screamh "deposit on a surface, crust, scum," from a Celtic etymon of uncertain shape and origin

Note: The Gallo-Romance word (compare 16th-century Occitan of Provence cresma "cream") has been formally influenced by the outcomes of Late Latin chrisma chrism. In Modern French the two words are separated only by spelling: crème "cream," chrême "chrism."

Verb

derivative of cream entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing cream

• Bavarian cream
• Boston cream pie
• clotted cream
• cold cream
• cream ale
• cream cheese
• cream-colored
• cream off
• cream of tartar
• cream puff
• cream soda
• cream tea
• Devonshire cream
• double cream
• egg cream
• full-cream
• hand cream
• heavy cream
• ice cream
• ice-cream chair
• ice-cream cone
• ice-cream headache
• like the cat that got the cream
• Neapolitan ice cream
• pastry cream
• peaches and cream
• peaches and cream complexion
• salad cream
• shaving cream
• sour cream
• soured cream
• sun cream
• the cream
• vanishing cream
• whipping cream

Kids Definition

cream

1 of 2 noun

ˈkrēm 

1

: the yellowish part of milk containing butterfat

2

a

: a food prepared with cream

cream soup

b

: something having about the same thickness as cream

hand cream

3

: the best part

the cream of the crop

4

: a pale yellow

cream

2 of 2 verb

1

: to skim the cream from

2

: to put cream into

cream tea

3

: to stir or blend until soft and smooth

Medical Definition

cream

noun

ˈkrēm 

1

: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat

2

: something having the consistency of cream

especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation

creamy

ˈkrē-mē 

adjective