cake

1 of 2

noun

plural cakes
1
a
: a breadlike food made from a dough or batter that is usually fried or baked in small flat shapes and is often unleavened
b
: a sweet baked food made from a dough or thick batter usually containing flour and sugar and often shortening, eggs, and a raising agent (such as baking powder)
c
: a flattened usually round mass of food that is baked or fried
a fish cake
2
a
: a block of compacted or congealed matter
a cake of ice
b
: a hard or brittle layer or deposit
3
: something easily done
after so much studying, the test was cake

see also take the cake

cake

2 of 2

verb

caked; caking

transitive verb

1
: encrust
caked with dust
2
: to fill (a space) with a packed mass

intransitive verb

: to form or harden into a mass

Examples of cake in a Sentence

Noun I made three cakes for the party. He blew out the candles on his birthday cake. a slice of chocolate cake Verb The mud had caked on his boots. shoes caked with dried mud
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Base notes: the warm feline fur of Tiger and Mimma, Simonetta’s cats who darted underfoot as slices of cake were distributed. Molly Young, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The vanilla cake doesn’t have any green or Irish touches, but Kardashian served it on a plate decorated with shamrocks. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 The result is a soft, powdery flour that bakes up tender and fluffy in all kinds of cakes and cookies. Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024 Similarly, sunflower seeds and rice cakes have become a big part of people’s pivot to healthier diets, making them among the new additions to U.K.’s inflation-measuring basket. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 That’s because the Breville the Bakery Chef mixer has 12 different speed settings designed to handle different types of mixtures, including cookie dough, cake batter, bread, and more. Laura Denby, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2024 Bake cake layers: Bake in preheated oven until a wooden pick inserted in centers of cakes comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2024 The breakfast bar and the hot fudge cake likely come to mind. David Wysong, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 Expect baked goods including muffins, pastries, mini cakes, brownies and cookies, as well as coffee from local company Haerfest Coffee— which also has its roots in helping people with intellectual and physical disabilities. Laurie Larsh, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
The super lightweight liquid feels like a serum but works like a concealer to instantly mask redness and dark circles sans any creasing, caking or cracking. Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 There’s a mechanical grind, a puff of smoke and then a rush of laughter as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, caked in orange makeup, steps out of a tanning booth. Itay Stern, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 In nearby Beverly Glen, on Caribou Lane, an upside-down piano — caked in mud, keys askew — lay in the road. Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 Photos show the horse standing outside the hole with its owners, completely caked in dirt and mud but otherwise unharmed. Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 2 Feb. 2024 But using dry shampoo as a regular replacement for washing your hair can cause residue to cake into follicles. Grace Gold, Allure, 23 Jan. 2024 His claim was buttressed by photographs obtained from Latchford’s computer that showed the statue tarnished and caked with dirt, suggesting it had recently been excavated. Tom Mashberg, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Our team raved that the lipstick went on as smooth as butter and never dried, bled, or caked during hours of wear. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 7 Dec. 2023 Her shoes, and even her braid, were caked with marble dust. Elaine Sciolino, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse kaka; akin to Old High German kuocho cake

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1583, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cake was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cake

Cite this Entry

“Cake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cake. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cake

1 of 2 noun
1
: a small piece of food (as dough or batter, meat, or fish) that is baked or fried
2
: a baked food made from a sweet batter or dough
3
: a substance hardened or molded into a solid mass
a cake of soap

cake

2 of 2 verb
caked; caking
1
: encrust
caked with dust
2
: to form or harden into a cake

More from Merriam-Webster on cake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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