gingerbread

noun

gin·​ger·​bread ˈjin-jər-ˌbred How to pronounce gingerbread (audio)
1
: a cake whose ingredients include molasses and ginger
2
[from the fancy shapes and gilding formerly often applied to gingerbread] : lavish or superfluous ornament especially in architecture
gingerbread adjective
gingerbreaded adjective
gingerbready adjective

Examples of gingerbread in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Following the success of the museum’s holiday gingerbread village exhibit built with Lego bricks, the Sunnyvale Historical Society is again collaborating with the Bay Area Lego Users Group (BayLUG) for a re-creation of Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton. Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 22 June 2025 After exploring the Cologne Cathedral, guests can meander through festive stalls and try lebkuchen—the spiced gingerbread holiday favorite. Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2025 The finish is long and layered, featuring lingering spices, lemon curd, sugar cookies, and gingerbread notes. Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025 To live in one of the storybook homes that populates New Orleans’s Garden District—with their extravagant ironwork and gingerbread detailing—is, in many ways, to reside within a piece of history. Laura May Todd, Architectural Digest, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for gingerbread

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gingerbread was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Gingerbread.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gingerbread. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

gingerbread

noun
gin·​ger·​bread ˈjin-jər-ˌbred How to pronounce gingerbread (audio)
1
: a cake made with molasses and flavored with ginger
2
: showy ornamentation especially in architecture
gingerbread adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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