Macaroni is a corruption of the Italian word maccherone and its plural maccheroni. Its etymology is debatable. Some scholars consider it related to Greek μακαρία (makaria), a kind of barley broth. Others think it comes from Italian ammaccare, "to bruise or crush" (referring to the crushing of the wheat to make the pasta), which comes, in turn, from Latin macerare.

In English-speaking countries, the name macaroni is customarily given to a specific shape of pasta (i.e. small pasta tubes cut into short pieces). In the United States macaroni is also sometimes labeled as elbow macaroni, or more simply elbows, due to the slight bend in the shape of the pasta noodle. In the U.S. and the United Kingdom, this pasta is often prepared by baking it with a sauce made from cheddar cheese; the resulting dish is called macaroni and cheese (often shortened to macaroni cheese in Britain, and "Mac'n'cheese" in the U.S. In Canada, the dish is known typically by the brand name Kraft Dinner or simply, K-D. In some parts of the U.S., a more narrow type of macaroni is sold as elbow spaghetti.

In Hong Kong, the local Chinese have adopted macaroni as an ingredient in the Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. In the territory's Cha chaan tengs, macaroni is cooked in water and then washed off starch, and served in clear broth with ham or frankfurter sausages, peas, black mushrooms, and optionally eggs reminiscent of noodle soup dishes. This is often a course for breakfast or light lunch fare.