noun · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/məˈlæsɪz/
General-American:[məˈlæsɪz]
General-American:[mɵˈlæsɪz]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Received-Pronunciation:/məʊˈlasɪz/
Received-Pronunciation:/məˈlasɪz/
Received-Pronunciation:[məˈlæsɪz]
/məˈlasɪz/Scots
rhymes with -æsɪz
General-American:/məˈlɑsɪz/
Received-Pronunciation:/məʊlasɪz/
CMU ARPABET:M AH0 L AE1 S AH0 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any similarly thick and sweet syrup produced by boiling down fruit juices, tree saps, etc., especially concentrated maple syrup.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Anything considered figuratively sweet, especially sweet words.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable, usually
Examples
He really poured on the molasses, charming his audience and changing more than a few votes.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Something which moves or works extremely slowly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
plural of molass: whiskey made from molasses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Scotland, form-of, obsolete, plural, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
Synonym of molass: whiskey made from molasses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Scotland, obsolete, rare, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: molass
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
plural of molasse
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: form-of, plural
Topics: geography, geology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
third-person singular simple present indicative of molass
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
thick dark syrup produced by boiling down juice from sugar cane; especially during sugar refining
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: syrup, sirup
History
Etymology
From Portuguese melaços or Spanish melazos, from Late Latin mellacium (“must, honey-sweet thing”), from mel (“honey”) + -āceus (“-aceous”) + -ium, q.v. Some alternative forms derived or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, conjectured to derive from unattested Late Latin mellacea, from mel + -ācea.
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Across languages
Translations
63 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
melasse
— thick brownish syrup refined from sugarcane
Arabic:
دِبْس
(dibs)
— thick brownish syrup refined from sugarcane
