any of a large group of organic compounds, including sugars, such as sucrose, and polysaccharides, such as cellulose, glycogen, and starch, that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the general formula Cm(H2O)n: an important source of food and energy for animals
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
car•bo•hy•drate /ˌkɑrboʊˈhaɪdreɪt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025- Biochemistry, Nutritionany of a class of substances made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, including starches and sugars: [countable]Carbohydrates are produced in green plants by photosynthesis.[uncountable]Change the amount of carbohydrate in your diet.
- a food containing a large amount of starch or sugar, esp. refined sugar:[countable]eating too many carbohydrates as snacks.
car•bo•hy•drate
(kär′bō hī′drāt, -bə-),USA pronunciation n.
- Biochemistry, Nutritionany of a class of organic compounds that are polyhydroxy aldehydes or polyhydroxy ketones, or change to such substances on simple chemical transformations, as hydrolysis, oxidation, or reduction, and that form the supporting tissues of plants and are important food for animals and people.
- carbo- + hydrate 1865–70
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'carbohydrate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-ose
- agar
- callose
- carb
- carbo
- carbo-
- carbo-loading
- carbohydrate loading
- carrageenan
- cellulose
- citric acid
- complex carbohydrate
- cortisone
- diabetes
- diabetes mellitus
- epinephrine
- glucide
- glycaemic load
- glyceraldehyde
- glycogen
- glycoprotein
- hydrate
- hydrocortisone
- inversion
- ketogenesis
- lactate dehydrogenase
- macronutrient
- mannitol
- metabolism
- monosaccharide
- mucilage
- nutrient-dense
- oligosaccharide
- oxalosuccinic acid
- pectin
- polysaccharide
- powerbar
- prediabetes
- riboflavin
- saccharide
- simple carbohydrate
- starch
- sugar
- thiamine
- trisaccharide