margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmär-jə-rən 

-ˌrēn;

ˈmärj-rən

: a food product made usually from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion and used like butter

Examples of margarine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Of course, with the extra demand, the price of margarine is likely to rise. —John Phelan, Twin Cities, 3 Feb. 2025

Those tubs would pack the fridge full year-round but especially during the holidays when many big family meals were to be held and running out of easy-spreading margarine just wasn’t an option. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 25 Jan. 2025

If the goal was to minimize processing, then a diet that includes butter might be healthier than one that includes margarine, and one that includes cane sugar might be healthier than one that includes zero-calorie sweeteners. —Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025

Butter, margarine, or vegetable oil: Replace with olive oil or olive oil margarine. —Heather Jones, Verywell Health, 1 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, ultimately from Greek margaron pearl, probably back-formation from margaritēs

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmärj-(ə-)rən 

ˈmärj-ə-ˌrēn

: a food product made from usually vegetable oils and skim milk and used as a spread and a cooking fat

Medical Definition

margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmärj-(ə-)rən, -ə-ˌrēn 

: a food product made usually from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion, often fortified with vitamins A and D, and used as a substitute for butter