biscuit

noun

bis·cuit | \ ˈbi-skət

plural biscuits also biscuit

Definition of biscuit

1a US : a small quick bread made from dough that has been rolled out and cut or dropped from a spoon While both types of biscuit use the same handful of ingredients and are quick to prepare, drop biscuits don't rely on any of the finicky steps rolled biscuits require to get them just right.— Sandra Wu

b British : cookie The children were divided into groups of five seated round a table and each one was given a chocolate biscuit.— H. Colin Davis

2 : earthenware or porcelain after the first firing and before glazing biscuit china

— called also bisque

3a : a light grayish-yellowish brown

b : a grayish yellow

4 woodworking : a small, flat oval of compressed wood that is glued into slots cut into the sides of two boards which are to be joined in order to increase the strength of the resulting bond Have several clamps at the ready; then add glue to the biscuits, push them into the maple slots, and clamp the maple in place. The dry, compressed biscuits swell once glue is applied, so you have to work quickly.— Mike McClintock — compare tenon entry 1

5 slang : a hockey puck To control the biscuit, you've got to win faceoffs.— Lindsay Berra

— see also take the biscuit

Other Words from biscuit Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about biscuit

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

Long ago it was often a problem to keep food from spoiling, especially on long journeys. One way to preserve flat loaves of bread was to bake them a second time in order to dry them out. In early French, this bread was called pain bescuit or “bread twice-cooked.” Later the term was shortened to bescuit. The idea of being “twice–cooked” was lost as the term was used for any crisp flat bread or for bread made with baking soda or baking powder instead of yeast. The word was borrowed into Middle English as bisquite, but was later spelled biscuit on the model of the French spelling.

Examples of biscuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The reactions were harsh upon the news of the biscuit’s demise across the country. — Stephanie Toone, ajc, "Here are a few items you will no longer find on the Chick-fil-A menu," 22 Feb. 2021 Gantt, a social media star from Andalusia who gained fame for her biscuit-making videos, has offered to feed Tide players and coaches if the team wins the College Football Playoff national championship. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, "Alabama’s biscuit queen offers to feed Crimson Tide if team wins national championship," 6 Jan. 2021 Most recently, the IPO of premium and mid-premium biscuit and bakery company Mrs Bector Food Specialty became the most successful offering since 2017 when it was subscribed 198 times. — Prathamesh Mulye, Quartz India, "India saw an IPO boom as its economy was entering a recession," 17 Dec. 2020 Notes: Lightly sweet and eminently quaffable, with notes of grainy malt, biscuit and corn. — Lee Svitak Dean, Star Tribune, "FAIRDAILY082720.beer," 19 Aug. 2020 Perhaps a sprinkle of granulated sugar on the pies before baking or a dusting of confectioners’ after to account for the outsize ratio of biscuit to apple filling would bring the dish more solidly into dessert territory. — Washington Post, "Outkast’s André 3000 shines a light on food insecurity for the elderly with a quick lil’ apple pie," 18 Dec. 2020 Each is meant to serve one and comes with two sides, a biscuit or cornbread and holiday cookies. — Jenn Harris Senior Food Writer, Los Angeles Times, "Where to order takeout and delivery holiday dinners," 16 Dec. 2020 Though no yeast was used, some early recipes called for saleratus, a precursor to baking soda that was manufactured in the late 1700s and often used in biscuit and cake recipes. — Tejal Rao, New York Times, "Salt-Rising Bread: A Delicious and Nearly Lost Tradition," 18 Nov. 2020 The long, thin strands of butter guarantee a biscuit that’s flaky AF. — Grant Melton, Bon Appétit, "Turn Leftover Mashed Potatoes Into Big Fluffy Biscuits," 27 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biscuit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.