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Definition of 'carrot'

Word Frequency

carrot

(kærət )

Word forms: plural carrots

1. variable noun

Carrots are long, thin, orange-coloured vegetables. They grow under the ground, and have green shoots above the ground.

2. countable noun

Something that is offered to people in order to persuade them to do something can be referred to as a carrot. Something that is meant to persuade people not to do something can be referred to in the same sentence as a ' stick'.

They will be set targets, with a carrot of extra cash and pay if they achieve them. [+ of]

Why the new emphasis on sticks instead of diplomatic carrots?

3. See also carrot and stick

COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

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Word Frequency

carrot in British English

(ˈkærət )

noun

1.

an umbelliferous plant, Daucus carota sativa, with finely divided leaves and flat clusters of small white flowers

See also wild carrot

2.

the long tapering orange root of this plant, eaten as a vegetable

3. See carrot and stick

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Word origin

C16: from Old French carotte, from Late Latin carōta, from Greek karōton; perhaps related to Greek karē head

Word Frequency

carrot in American English

(ˈkærət )

noun

1.

a biennial plant (Daucus carota) of the umbel family, with fernlike leaves and compound umbels of white flowers, usually with one red flower in the center: only the cultivated variety is edible

2.

the fleshy, orange-red root of the cultivated strain of this plant ( var. sativa), eaten as a vegetable

3.

something offered as a tantalizing but deceptive inducement, like a carrot dangled before a donkey's nose

Idioms:

carrot and stick

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Word origin

MFr carotte < L carota < Gr karōton, carrot; akin to kara, head: see horn

Word Frequency

carrot in Hospitality

(kærət)

Word forms: (regular plural) carrots

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, vegetables)

Carrots are long, thin, orange-colored vegetables.

The salad contains lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and onions.

The ham is served with a colorful blend of orange carrots and green peas.

Prepare the salad with red tomatoes, green leaves, and bright orange carrots.

COBUILD Key Words for Hospitality. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Examples of 'carrot' in a sentence
carrot

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Add the chopped potatoes and carrots and stir to coat with the oil. Halve any larger carrots vertically to make sure all are a similar size. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes and peel the carrot lengthways into long ribbons. Roast them in a hot oven with vegetables such as carrots, celery and onion. Also add chopped, raw vegetables such as carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes to munch on.Add the onion, celery and carrot and stir until the onion is translucent.Add the carrots and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes. Clean eating doesn't mean scrubbing your carrots extra hard or not spilling half your food down your front.Peel and chop the carrots.OK, lots of carrot cakes.

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More idioms containing
carrot

offer someone a carrot

carrot and stick

COBUILD Collocations
carrot

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carrot

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In other languages
carrot

British English: carrot /ˈkærət/ NOUN

Carrots are long, thin, orange-coloured vegetables that grow under the ground.

American English: carrot /ˈkærət/
Arabic: جَزَر
Brazilian Portuguese: cenoura
Chinese: 胡萝卜
Croatian: mrkva
Czech: mrkev
Danish: gulerod
Dutch: wortel
European Spanish: zanahoria
Finnish: porkkana
French: carotte
German: Karotte
Greek: καρότο
Italian: carota
Japanese: ニンジン
Korean: 당근
Norwegian: gulrot
Polish: marchew
European Portuguese: cenoura
Romanian: morcov
Russian: морковь
Latin American Spanish: zanahoria
Swedish: morot
Thai: แครอต
Turkish: havuç
Ukrainian: морква
Vietnamese: củ cà rốt

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Definition of carrot from the Collins English Dictionary

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Scrabble score
for 'carrot':
8

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