chocolate

/ˈtʃɒklət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃɔːklət/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈchä-k(ə-)lət ˈchȯ-/ (ame, mw) · /ˈtʃɒk.lət/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈtʃɑːk.lət/ (ame, ipa)

chocolate — noun

  • chocolatesingular
  • chocolatesplural

1. a sweet treat produced from ground cacao beans, commonly formed into bars and ad

1.名詞A1
釋義

a sweet treat produced from ground cacao beans, commonly formed into bars and added to desserts or other dishes

例句

Theo bought a bar of dark chocolate at the corner shop.

collocation: bar of chocolate

This cake recipe needs two hundred grams of melted chocolate.

melted chocolate in baking

用法筆記

Uncountable in this sense — you cannot say 'a chocolate' when referring to the food ingredient. Use 'a piece of chocolate' or 'some chocolate'.

常見錯誤

❌Can I have a chocolate on my cake?
✅Can I have some chocolate on my cake?
💡when talking about the ingredient or sauce, chocolate is uncountable.
❌I need a chocolate for the recipe.
✅I need some chocolate for the recipe.
💡the food ingredient is uncountable; use 'a chocolate' only for individual sweets.

2. a bite-sized confection that contains or is coated in chocolate, sometimes with

2.名詞A2
釋義

a bite-sized confection that contains or is coated in chocolate, sometimes with a soft filling

例句

Leila gave each child a chocolate from the fancy box.

countable: a chocolate / chocolates

Priya bought a box of chocolates for her aunt's birthday.

collocation: a box of chocolates

同義詞
  • truffle

    a specific type of rich chocolate sweet with a soft centre, usually more expensive

  • praline

    a chocolate with a nut filling, less common as a general term

用法筆記

Countable in this sense — the plural form 'chocolates' is very common when referring to a selection of sweets.

常見錯誤

❌She ate too many chocolate and felt sick.
✅She ate too many chocolates and felt sick.
💡when talking about individual sweets, chocolates is countable and takes a plural -s.
❌This box of chocolate looks expensive.
✅This box of chocolates looks expensive.
💡a box containing several sweets is a 'box of chocolates'.

3. a warm beverage that combines powdered chocolate with hot milk or water, sweeten

3.名詞A2
釋義

a warm beverage that combines powdered chocolate with hot milk or water, sweetened to taste

例句

The barista made a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream.

collocation: hot chocolate

Nadia drinks a mug of hot chocolate before bed every night.

collocation: a mug of hot chocolate

同義詞
  • cocoa

    more specific — made with cocoa powder rather than block chocolate; often used interchangeably in casual speech

用法筆記

Often called 'hot chocolate' to distinguish it from the food. Countable when referring to a single serving ('a hot chocolate'), uncountable when referring to the drink in general.

常見錯誤

❌I ordered a chocolate.' (when meaning a hot drink)
✅I ordered a hot chocolate.
💡add 'hot' to avoid confusion with the food or a sweet.
❌Hot chocolates are my favourite winter drink.
✅Hot chocolate is my favourite winter drink.
💡when referring to the type of drink in general, use the uncountable form.

4. a shade of deep brown like that of the food chocolate

4.名詞B1
釋義

a shade of deep brown like that of the food chocolate

例句

Yara painted her living room walls a rich chocolate colour.

chocolate colour / chocolate brown

The sofa was a warm chocolate brown that matched the floor.

同義詞
  • brown

    the broader colour category; chocolate is a specific shade of brown

  • chestnut

    a reddish-brown colour; slightly warmer than chocolate

用法筆記

Commonly used in compound forms: 'chocolate brown', 'chocolate-coloured'. Not used to describe food in this sense — it only refers to a colour.

常見錯誤

❌I want to paint my room chocolate.
✅I want to paint my room chocolate brown.
💡use 'chocolate brown' or 'chocolate colour' for clarity.
❌The chocolate curtains look nice.
✅The chocolate-coloured curtains look nice.
💡add '-coloured' or 'brown' to avoid confusion with the food.

chocolate — adjective