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

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

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

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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

There are plenty of menu staples like a fried chicken buttermilk biscuit with red pepper jelly and the signature omelet stuffed with Benton’s bacon and pimento cheese. — Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Condé Nast Traveler, "10 Best Brunch Places in Atlanta," 21 Aug. 2018 Old Major Market has been known to smother homemade biscuits in cheddar chorizo gravy. — Liz Biro, Indianapolis Star, "These are the best Indianapolis food and drink events in May," 23 Apr. 2018 From free biscuits to pizza and cookie discounts, there are plenty of offers to make April 17 a little more enjoyable. — Leada Gore, AL.com, "Tax Day 2018 freebies, discounts: Best deals on pizza, margaritas, more," 17 Apr. 2018 But before long, the machine has gone rogue, chiding her like a southern mother-in-law for putting canned biscuits on the shopping list. — The Economist, "In the world of voice-recognition, not all accents are equal," 15 Feb. 2018 Another recall, announced Jan. 2, involved frozen biscuits made by the T. Marzetti Company and sold under a number of product names. — Kathleen Purvis, charlotteobserver, "If you buy frozen biscuits, check for this recalled brand in your freezer," 12 Jan. 2018 The biscuit was among 200 items from the collection of the passenger, James Fenwick, that were sold during the auction. — Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, "This Cracker from the Titanic Just Sold for $23,000," 28 Oct. 2015 His fried chicken, meanwhile, takes on a Southern charm with golden biscuits and crab macaroni and cheese. — Mike Sutter, WSJ, "The Best Under-the-Radar Food Destination in the U.S.," 19 Oct. 2018 Reroll the scraps once and cut additional biscuits. — Cathy Barrow, The Seattle Times, "I bake for dogs, and they eat it up: recipes for DIY dog biscuits," 23 July 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.