calorie
a unit of energy, often used as a measurement of the amount of energy that food provides
There are about 50 calories in an apple.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
calorie
noun
a unit for measuring the energy value of food. Food that has a lot of calories in it can make you fat:
a low-calorie drink
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
calorie
cal‧o‧rie /ˈkæləri/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1800-1900; Language: French; Origin: Latin calor 'heat']
1. a unit for measuring the amount of ↑energy that food will produce:
A potato has about 90 calories.
a calorie-controlled diet
low-calorie/high-calorie
a low-calorie snack
I need to burn off a few calories (=lose some weight by exercising).
My wife convinced me to finally start counting calories (=control my weight by being careful about what I eat).
2. technical the amount of heat that is needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius. It is used as a unit for measuring energy.
—caloric /kəˈlɒrɪk, ˈkælərɪk $ kəˈlɔːrɪk/ adjective
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ something has/contains calories These yoghurts have approximately 90 calories per pot.
▪ count calories (=control your weight by eating fewer calories) Women tend to count calories more than men.
▪ burn (up/off) calories (=use up the calories you have eaten) Even walking will help you to burn up calories.
■ adjectives
▪ low-calorie She's on a low-calorie diet at the moment.
▪ high-calorie High-calorie foods are usually fatty.
▪ be high/low in calories (=contain a lot of/few calories) Sweets and chocolates are very high in calories.
▪ somebody's daily calories (=that someone eats every day) Americans get 22% of their daily calories from snacks.
▪ empty calories (=that do not contain anything good for your body) Sugary drinks are full of empty calories.
■ calorie + NOUN
▪ calorie intake (=the amount of calories someone eats) There are several ways you can reduce your calorie intake.
▪ calorie content Pizzas have a very high calorie content.
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
calorie
cal·orie [calorie calories] [ˈkæləri] [ˈkæləri] noun
1. a unit for measuring how much energy food will produce
• A fried egg contains about 100 calories— about the same as you would burn off if you ran a mile.
• No sugar for me, thanks— I'm counting my calories.
• a low-calorie drink/diet
2. (technical) a unit for measuring a quantity of heat; the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of a gram of water by one degree Celsius
Word Origin:
mid 19th cent.: from French, from Latin calor ‘heat’ + French suffix -ie (see -y).
Collocations:
Diet and exercise
Weight
put on/gain/lose weight/a few kilos/a few pounds
watch/control/struggle with your weight
be/become seriously overweight/underweight
be/become clinically/morbidly obese
achieve/facilitate/promote/stimulate weight loss
slim down to 70 kilos/(BrE) 11 stone/(especially NAmE) 160 pounds
combat/prevent/tackle/treat obesity
develop/have/suffer from/struggle with/recover from anorexia/bulimia/an eating disorder
be on/go on/follow a crash/strict diet
have/suffer from a negative/poor body image
have/develop a positive/healthy body image
Healthy eating
eat a balanced diet/healthily/sensibly
get/provide/receive adequate/proper nutrition
contain/get/provide essential nutrients/vitamins/minerals
be high/low in calories/fat/fibre/(especially US) fiber/protein/vitamin D/Omega-3 fatty acids
contain (no)/use/be full of/be free from additives/chemical preservatives/artificial sweeteners
avoid/cut down on/cut out alcohol/caffeine/fatty foods
stop/give up/ (especially NAmE) quit smoking
Exercise
(BrE) take regular exercise
do moderate/strenuous/vigorous exercise
play football/hockey/tennis
go cycling/jogging/running
go to/visit/ (especially NAmE) hit/work out at the gym
strengthen/tone/train your stomach muscles
contract/relax/stretch/use/work your lower-body muscles
build (up)/gain muscle
improve/increase your stamina/energy levels/physical fitness
burn/consume/expend calories
Staying healthy
be/get/keep/stay healthy/in shape/(especially BrE) fit
lower your cholesterol/blood pressure
boost/stimulate/strengthen your immune system
prevent/reduce the risk of heart disease/high blood pressure/diabetes/osteoporosis
reduce/relieve/manage/combat stress
enhance/promote relaxation/physical and mental well-being
Example Bank:
• Fruit is relatively low in calories.
• I don't count calories, but I am careful about what I eat.
• I'm trying to watch my calories at the moment.
• Mile per mile you get the same calorie burn from walking as from running.
• Some people count calories all their lives.
• Sweets and biscuits have a lot of empty calories in them.
• Try to reduce the percentage of fat calories in your diet.
• Vegetables are relatively low in calories.
• You need to exercise more to burn off the calories.
• a calorie-restricted diet
• a low calorie drink
• foods with a high calorie content
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
calorie / ˈkæl. ə r.i / / -ɚ- / noun [ C ] (FOOD)
a unit of energy, often used as a measurement of the amount of energy that food provides:
There are about 50 calories in an apple.
An athlete in training needs a lot of calories.
This drink can only help you to lose weight as a part of a calorie -controlled diet .
He found calorie -counting the best way of losing weight.
calorie / ˈkæl. ə r.i / / -ɚ- / noun [ C ] specialized (HEAT)
a unit of heat energy
© Cambridge University Press 2013
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
calorie
[kæ̱ləri]
calories
N-COUNT
Calories are units used to measure the energy value of food. People who are on diets try to eat food that does not contain many calories.
→ See also -calorie
A glass of wine does have quite a lot of calories.
...calorie controlled diets.
[-kæ̱ləri]
COMB in ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n
-calorie is used after adjectives such as low or high to indicate that food contains a small or a large number of calories.
...low-calorie margarine.
...reduced-calorie mayonnaise.
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
calorie
cal·o·rie /ˈkæləri/ noun, pl -ries [count] : a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body
• foods with high/low calories
• You should try to eat fewer calories [=eat less food with high calories] and exercise more.
• a low-calorie diet
• No dessert for me—I'm watching/counting my calories. [=being careful not to eat too much]
- ca·lo·ric /kəˈlorɪk/ adj [more ~; most ~]
• caloric intake/restriction/values
• caloric foods [=foods that contain many calories]
- cal·o·rif·ic /ˌkæləˈrɪfɪk/ adj technical
• the calorific content of fat
