Illustration of cacao
- cacao 2
cacao
noun
ca·cao
kə-ˈkau̇ 
kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō
kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō
plural cacaos
1
or cacao bean
: a dried, fermented, fatty seed of the fruit of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Malvaceae) that is used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter : cocoa bean
… polyphenols also make cacao beans taste astringent and bitter.—
Patricia Gadsby
Patricia Gadsby2
or cacao tree
: a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods from which cacao is obtained
Chocolate starts as the seeds in the fruits of the cacao tree, a tropical plant that produces flowers and fruit not at the tips of branches but on the trunk.—Kenneth Chang
Kenneth ChangThe cacao tree is native to the tropical countries of South America, but now grows in other parts of the world, notably Africa, the West Indies, and Central America.—Joanna Morris
Joanna Morris
Examples of cacao in a Sentence
a farmer who grows cacao
Recent Examples on the Web
For people interested in coffee alternatives like matcha, cacao, and mushroom blends, there are fewer in-person options.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 June 2025
One recent standout cocktail included the Venado, made with Mexican white rum infused with Mayan oregano, a lime-salvia cordial, Lillet Blanc, lime soda, hoja santa and cacao.
—Kevin Gray, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
While America’s trading partners were given a minimum baseline 10% duty, a number of the cacao producing nations, where Guittard purchases its beans, were slapped with higher tariffs.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Ecuador, for its part, kept the U.S. market well-supplied with oil, shrimp, bananas, cacao, tuna, mining products, and the occasional bouquet of roses—an exchange that paints a vivid portrait of a nation exporting nature and importing the tools of industry.
—James Laporta, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacao
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Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 June 2025
One recent standout cocktail included the Venado, made with Mexican white rum infused with Mayan oregano, a lime-salvia cordial, Lillet Blanc, lime soda, hoja santa and cacao.
—Kevin Gray, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
While America’s trading partners were given a minimum baseline 10% duty, a number of the cacao producing nations, where Guittard purchases its beans, were slapped with higher tariffs.
—Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Ecuador, for its part, kept the U.S. market well-supplied with oil, shrimp, bananas, cacao, tuna, mining products, and the occasional bouquet of roses—an exchange that paints a vivid portrait of a nation exporting nature and importing the tools of industry.
—James Laporta, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cacao
Cite this Entry
“Cacao.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cacao. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cacao
noun
ca·cao
kə-ˈkau̇
kə-ˈkā-ō
plural cacaos
1
: a South American tree that bears small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy yellow pods containing many seeds
2
: the dried fatty seeds of the cacao from which cocoa and chocolate are made
called also cacao bean
Medical Definition
cacao
noun
ca·cao
kə-ˈkau̇
kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō
kə-ˈkā-(ˌ)ō
plural cacaos
1
: the dried partly fermented fatty seeds of a South American evergreen tree (Theobroma cacao of the family Sterculiaceae) that are used in making cocoa, chocolate, and cocoa butter
called also cacao bean, cocoa bean
2
: a tree having small yellowish flowers followed by fleshy pods with many seeds that bear cacao
called also chocolate tree
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