spun sugar

noun

: sugar boiled to long threads and gathered up and shaped into desired forms or heaped on a stick as a candy
… thin shells of chocolate filled with caramel and white chocolate mousse and cradled in a nest of spun sugar.—Jeff Book

Examples of spun sugar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The dessert buffet offers 50 desserts, from elaborate preparations like Floating Island with custard, meringue, and a spun sugar garnish, to comforting grandma style desserts like chocolate mousse and rice pudding. — Michelle Greenwald, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spun sugar was in 1846

Browse Nearby Words

spun silk
spun sugar
spun yarn
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spun sugar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spun%20sugar. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

spun sugar

noun
: sugar that has been boiled and spun into fine threads usually for cotton candy
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All