cream
gb/kɹˈim/ us/kɹˈim/
A2
Anglais
~ 3000
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
thick part of milk
The thick, rich part of milk that is used in food or drinks.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] puts cream in [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'cream' with 'milk' and use it interchangeably, though cream is thicker and richer.
Synonymes
dairy cream (Specifies it comes from milk, not plant sources.)
Antonymes
skim milk (Milk from which the cream has been removed.)
Collocations
whipped cream
|pour cream
|fresh cream
|double cream
|single cream
Thèmes
food
|cooking
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- She added a splash of cream to her coffee.
- The recipe calls for half a cup of heavy cream.
- Fresh strawberries with cream are a summer treat.
- Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
- He prefers cream instead of milk in his tea.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I put cream in my coffee.
- She buys fresh cream from the market.
- We need cream for the cake.
- The cream is in the fridge.
Nom
A2
entity
2
skin or hair lotion
A thick lotion you put on skin or hair to keep it healthy or make it look good.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] applies cream to [body part]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'cream' with 'ointment' or 'lotion', not realizing the difference in texture and use.
Synonymes
lotion (Usually thinner in texture than cream.)
Antonymes
ointment (Usually greasier and used mainly for medical treatment.)
Collocations
face cream
|hand cream
|moisturizing cream
|sunscreen cream
Thèmes
health
|beauty
|daily life
|body
|daily_life
Exemples
- Apply this moisturizing cream twice a day.
- She uses a special hand cream in the winter.
- The doctor gave him an antiseptic cream for the cut.
- Face creams can help reduce dryness.
- Sunscreen creams protect your skin from UV rays.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I use face cream every morning.
- She puts hand cream on before bed.
- This cream helps my skin feel soft.
- The doctor gave me cream for my rash.
Nom
B2
entity
3
best or most skilled people
The best people or things in a group.
Schéma d’usage :
the cream of [group]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may take this meaning literally as dairy cream if they don't know it's figurative.
Synonymes
elite (More formal; often used for people with high social status.)
Antonymes
mediocrity (Refers to average or unremarkable quality.)
Collocations
cream of the crop
|the cream of society
Thèmes
people
|quality
|education
|business
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The school attracts the cream of young scientists.
- These players are the cream of the crop in their sport.
- Only the cream of society attended the ball.
- He was considered among the cream of the literary world.
Exemples pédagogiques
- She is the cream of her class.
- He is the cream of the team.
- These students are the cream of the school.
Verbe
informal
B2
action
4
defeat easily and completely
To win against someone by a lot or very easily.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] creams [someone] at [activity]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with the cooking sense of 'cream', using it incorrectly in sports contexts.
Synonymes
crush (Common in sports; implies overwhelming victory.)
Antonymes
lose to (Means to be defeated by someone.)
Collocations
cream the opposition
|got creamed
Thèmes
sports
|competition
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- Our team creamed them 5–0 in the final.
- He got creamed in yesterday’s chess match.
- They creamed their rivals in record time.
Exemples pédagogiques
- We creamed them in the game.
- They creamed the other team.
- He got creamed at tennis.
Verbe
B1
action
5
mix until smooth and light
To mix butter and sugar until it is soft and light.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] creams [ingredient] with [ingredient]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes think 'cream' here means adding dairy cream instead of mixing until smooth.
Synonymes
whip (Whipping can also introduce more air; not always interchangeable depending on recipe.)
Antonymes
fold in (A gentler mixing method that does not aim for fluffiness.)
Collocations
cream together butter and sugar
Thèmes
cooking
|food_drink
|daily_life
Exemples
- Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
- She creamed together margarine and honey for the frosting.
- The recipe says to cream eggs into the mixture.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Cream butter and sugar together.
- I will cream the butter first.
- She creamed sugar with butter.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
cream
API
GB/kɹˈim/
US/kɹˈim/
Syllabes et accentuation
cream (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (cream)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: cream
- Plural: cream, creams
Verb
- Base: cream
- 3rd Person Singular: creams
- Present Participle: creaming
- Past: creamed
Famille de mots
Forms
creams
noun
creaming
verb
creamed
verb
Core family
creamy
adjective B1
Related words
creamer
noun
creaminess
noun
Advanced or less common
creamery
noun
Expressions
cream of the crop
1/kɹˈim əv ðə kɹˈɑp/
idiom
best in a group
The best people or things in a group.
Exemples
- These students are truly the cream of the crop.
- This wine is the cream of the crop from last year’s harvest.
cream someone’s corn
1/kɹˈim sˈʌmwˌʌnz kˈɔɹn/
idiom
informal
annoy someone greatly
To make someone very annoyed or angry.
Exemples
- It really creams my corn when people cut in line.
- That kind of behavior creams her corn every time.
get creamed
1/ɡˈɛt kɹˈimd/
idiom
informal
be beaten badly
To lose by a lot in a game or fight.
Exemples
- We got creamed in last night’s match.
- They got creamed by their rivals.
rise to the top like cream
1/ɹˈaɪz tə ðə tˈɑp lˈaɪk kɹˈim/
idiom
best people succeed naturally
The best people or things will become successful without help, like cream rising in milk.
Exemples
- She rose to the top like cream because of her talent.
- In any field, true skill will rise to the top like cream.