Definition of "caramelize" []

• To convert or be converted into caramel. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "As they cook, the onions keep going and eventually they are going to caramelize, which is a controlled burn of the sugars in the onion, and that's going to give a savory sweet underflavor to the soup."
• "The dates nearly caramelize in the oven, and the salty bacon, the sweet date, and the crunchy almond exploding in your mouth all at the same time, well, it's just a bit spectacular considering it's all wrapped up in such a small little bundle."
• "In this episode, while she's waiting for the sugar, corn syrup, and water mixture to come to the boil and caramelize, she says, People are scared of recipes that have spun sugar."