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Meaning & use

chocolate

noun, adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈtʃɒklət/
US/ˈtʃɑːklət/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    A sweet brown food made from roasted cacao beans, eaten as a treat or used in desserts.

    Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the substance: I like chocolate. A piece or type is countable: a chocolate, two chocolates.

    Patterns

    • eat chocolate
    • a bar of chocolate
    • chocolate cake

    She gave me a box of chocolate for my birthday.

    This cake is made with dark chocolate.

    He bought a bar of milk chocolate.

  2. nouncountable

    A small sweet made of or covered with chocolate.

    Grammar: Countable: a chocolate, two chocolates.

    Patterns

    • a box of chocolates
    • eat a chocolate

    He gave her a heart-shaped box of chocolates.

    She took one chocolate from the tray.

  3. noununcountable

    A dark brown color like that of chocolate.

    Grammar: Uncountable; often used before another color word: chocolate brown.

    Patterns

    • chocolate brown
    • in chocolate

    The walls were painted a warm chocolate.

    She wore a chocolate-colored dress.

  4. adjectivebefore a noun

    Made of or flavored with chocolate.

    Grammar: Used before a noun: chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream.

    Patterns

    • chocolate cake
    • chocolate ice cream
    • chocolate bar

    We had chocolate cake for dessert.

    He ordered a chocolate milkshake.

Word forms

pluralchocolates

Common combinations

dark chocolate
Dark chocolate contains less sugar than milk chocolate.
milk chocolate
Children often prefer milk chocolate.
a bar of chocolate
He broke off a piece of the bar of chocolate.
chocolate cake
She baked a chocolate cake for the party.
hot chocolate
We drank hot chocolate by the fire.

Synonyms and how they differ

cocoa
Cocoa is the powder made from cacao beans, not the finished sweet; use chocolate for the candy.
candy
A general word for sweets; chocolate is a specific type.

Word family

chocolaty adjective
Having a taste or smell like chocolate.
chocolatey adjective
Another spelling of chocolaty.

Commonly confused: chocolate or cacao?

chocolate vs cacao

Cacao refers to the bean or tree; chocolate is the product made from it.

Practice

I'd like a ___ of chocolate, please.

Make it your own

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