creams

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of cream.

   The shelf was lined with moisturizing creams in every price range.

   Dermatologists recommend different creams for different skin conditions.

   Note

   The plural turns a mass noun into something you can count: kinds of cream, products sold as creams, or single portions, like the small serving a creamer holds. The dairy substance itself usually stays singular. You skim the cream; you don't skim the creams. Informally, cream also names frosting or custard, and the plural follows. The same spelling serves as the present-tense verb, as in she creams the butter.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of cream.

   The recipe works best when the cook creams the fat and sugar thoroughly.

   She creams the mixture until it turns pale and fluffy.

   Note

   One spelling covers several very different verbs. In the kitchen it is transitive and wants an object: she creams the butter and sugar, or creams cooked vegetables to a puree. In slang it means to defeat decisively (the champion creams every challenger), and it also has vulgar sexual uses. Outside a recipe, context decides which reading a listener hears, so use it with care.

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