biscuit

noun bis·cuit \ ˈbis-kət \

|Updated on: 3 Aug 2018

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of biscuit

plural biscuits also biscuit

1 a 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

3 a : 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

5 slang : a hockey puck

To control the biscuit, you've got to win faceoffs.
—Lindsay Berra

—

biscuity

play \ˈbis-kə-tē\ adjective

— take the biscuit

British, informal

: to win the prize : to rank first —often used to describe something that is extremely surprising, annoying, etc.

When he was quite sure that the narrative had ended he laughed noiselessly for fully half a minute. Then he said: "Well! … That takes the biscuit!" [=(US) takes the cake]
—James Joyce

See biscuit defined for English-language learners

See biscuit defined for kids

Recent Examples of biscuit from the Web

Price range: Weekend breakfast items include skillets for $8 and $9, eggs and omelets from $6-$9, breakfast pizza for $17 and $23, biscuit and gravy for $6.50 and breakfast sliders for $8.

— shonda talerico dudlicek, Lake County News-Sun, "Get giant mozzerella sticks at Sweet Melissa's," 3 July 2018
The cafe specializes in breakfast and lunch, including egg dishes, biscuits and gravy, breakfast burritos, wraps, sandwiches, soups and salads.

— laura groch, sandiegouniontribune.com, "New brewery tasting room, dental treatment facility," 21 June 2018
Any of the classic diner breakfasts, like the biscuits and gravy, or specialty Benedicts.

— sarah fritsche, SFChronicle.com, "From boozy to brunchable, where to eat and drink at the Pride parade," 14 June 2018
Eric Ball used to chew on honeycombs as treat from his grandmother, and like most people, enjoys a bit of honey on his biscuits.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "How, and why, a former Cincinnati Bengals running back turned into a beekeeper," 9 July 2018
Furman makes the gravy, and Council uses B’s lard to craft her famous buttermilk biscuits, sometimes stuffed with sticky cinnamon sugar and draped with icing, sometimes snuggled up against fried chicken or topped with homemade apple butter.

— hilary cadigan, Bon Appetit, "The Unmistakable Bryan Furman, Georgia’s New King of Barbecue," 25 June 2018
Baltimore staple Woodberry Kitchen got high marks for its chicken biscuit.

— anna muckerman, baltimoresun.com, "Three Maryland restaurants make OpenTable's best outdoor dining list," 20 June 2018
Hardee’s is reminding customers its biscuits are kneaded, rolled and baked every 15 minutes.

— lizzy alfs, USA TODAY, "Hardee's, Carl's Jr. chains part ways in fast-food image shakeup," 19 June 2018
Dixie Belle’s Cafe is the eatery in Orlando known for its sweet potatoes biscuits and homemade desserts.

— kyle arnold, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Boku Sushi, Dixie Belle's Cafe added to Maitland City Centre," 6 June 2018

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.

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.