calorie

IPA/ˈkæləri/
KK[kˈælɚi]IPA/ˈkæləri/

calorie — noun

  • caloriesingular
  • caloriesplural

1. a unit that measures how much energy a particular food or drink gives your body

1.nounB1
Definition

a unit that measures how much energy a particular food or drink gives your body when you eat or drink it

Example

Aiko checked the calorie count on the cereal box before breakfast.

calorie count — collocation for written nutritional info

This chocolate bar has two hundred calories, so Leila ate only half.

has + number + calories

Common collocations
  • high in calories
  • low in calories
  • empty calories
  • calorie intake
  • calorie count
  • burn calories
  • consume calories
  • cut calories
Synonyms
  • kilocalorie

    technically the same unit in nutrition contexts; more formal and rarely used in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

number + calorie(s)

high/low in calories

burn/consume + calories

Common Mistakes

I eat many calories today.
I consumed a lot of calories today.
'Calories' are not eaten directly; you consume them through food or drink.
This food has big calories.
This food has a lot of calories / is high in calories.
Use 'high in calories' or 'a lot of calories,' not 'big calories.'

2. a standard unit used in physics and chemistry to quantify heat; a single calorie

2.nounC1
Definition

a standard unit used in physics and chemistry to quantify heat; a single calorie gives enough energy to warm 1 g of water by 1 °C

Example

The lab report showed that the reaction released five hundred calories of heat.

released + number + calories of heat — technical pattern

Beatriz calculated how many calories were needed to warm the water sample by ten degrees.

calories needed to warm — purpose infinitive

Common collocations
  • calorie of heat
  • small calorie
  • gram calorie
Synonyms
  • gram calorie

    full technical name for the small calorie in physics; distinguishes it from the food kilocalorie

  • joule

    the SI unit of energy; 1 calorie ≈ 4.184 joules; more common in modern scientific writing

Grammar Patterns

number + calorie(s)

calorie + of heat

Usage Note

This sense is primarily used in physics and chemistry contexts. In everyday nutrition talk, 'calorie' actually refers to a kilocalorie (1,000 of these small calories). When you need to be precise in science, the small calorie may be spelled with a lowercase 'c' while the food kilocalorie uses a capital 'C,' though this convention is not always followed.

Common Mistakes

I burned 2 calories by walking — the scientific kind.
I burned about 200 kilocalories by walking.
In everyday language, 'calorie' means kilocalorie (1,000 small calories). The scientific small calorie is rarely used in fitness or diet contexts.

Word family

  • caloric
    adjectiveC1
  • calorific
    adjectiveC1
  • calorimeter
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In everyday diet and fitness contexts, 'calorie' is the standard term and refers to what scientists call a kilocalorie (1,000 small calories). Food labels and fitness apps all use 'calorie' to mean kilocalorie, so learners will encounter this usage most often. 'Kilocalorie' (often written as kcal) appears mainly on nutritional labels or in scientific research about diet — it is rarely used in casual conversation. 'Joule' is the official SI unit of energy used in physics, chemistry, and engineering; one food calorie equals about 4,184 joules. While 'joule' is slowly appearing on some international food labels, English-speaking consumers still think in calories. A practical way to remember: 'This apple has about 95 calories' (everyday speech) versus 'This apple provides approximately 397 kilojoules' (scientific/label alternative).

calorie ↗kilocalorie ↗joule ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • high in calories
  • low in calories
  • packed with calories
  • empty calories

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'calorie' comes from the French 'calorie,' which was coined in the early 1800s from Latin 'calor,' meaning 'heat.' The term was first used in physics to name a unit of heat energy. In the early 20th century, it was adopted by nutrition scientists to measure the energy value of food, and from there it entered everyday language.