Meaning & use
macaroons
Last updated
“macaroons” is a form of “macaroon”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Small, chewy cookies or cakes made from egg white, sugar and coconut or ground almonds.
Grammar: Plural of macaroon: one macaroon, a box of macaroons.
Patterns
- a batch of macaroons
- coconut macaroons
She baked a tray of coconut macaroons for the school sale.
The bakery sells macaroons dipped in dark chocolate.
He couldn't resist taking two macaroons from the plate.
nouncountableinformal
Delicate French-style sandwich cookies with a crisp shell and soft filling, in many colors; the more precise spelling is macarons.
Grammar: This is a common loose use of the word, though many recipe writers prefer 'macarons' for this item.
Patterns
- a box of macaroons
The café displays pastel macaroons in rows of pink, green and yellow.
We shared a box of pistachio macaroons after dinner.
She learned to make macaroons in a pastry class in Paris.
Word forms
| singular | macaroon |
|---|
Common combinations
- coconut macaroons
- Coconut macaroons are naturally gluten-free.
- a box of macaroons
- He brought a box of macaroons to the dinner party.
- bake macaroons
- We baked macaroons for Passover.
- chocolate-dipped macaroons
- The chocolate-dipped macaroons were gone within minutes.
- almond macaroons
- Almond macaroons are chewy in the middle.
Synonyms and how they differ
- macarons
- Macarons are the French sandwich cookies with meringue shells and fillings, a different pastry from coconut macaroons.
- cookies
- Cookies is the broad term for baked treats, and macaroons are a specific type.
- meringues
- Meringues are baked egg whites and sugar without coconut or almonds, so they are lighter and crisper.
Word family
Commonly confused: macaroons or macarons? macaroons or macaroni?
macaroons vs macarons
Macarons, with one o, are the pastel French sandwiches. Macaroons, with two o's, are the chewy coconut mounds.
macaroons vs macaroni
Macaroni is pasta, not a sweet. It shares the same roots as macaroon but a different meaning.
Practice
Which treat is traditionally made with shredded coconut?
Choose one answer.
Coconut macaroons are chewy mounds of coconut. Macarons are French meringue sandwiches, and macaroni is pasta.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “macaroons”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.