biscuit

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 Kids could care less, when there's that luxurious fudge that glues the two biscuits together. — Scottie Andrew, CNN, "The best cookies you can buy in a store, ranked," 4 Dec. 2019 About the drinks: Full bar with a whole slate of breakfast cocktails, including a line of Bloody Mary variations. Don’t miss: The biscuits will rival anyone's. — Marc Bona, cleveland, "Beachland Ballroom: Northeast Ohio’s best weekend brunches, breakfasts," 9 Nov. 2019 The cafe cooks up feel-good favorites at breakfast and lunch such as the delicious housemade biscuits and jam, hearty chicken noodle soup, stew and chili. — Gerry Frank, oregonlive, "Where to stop on the way to Mount Hood: Gerry Frank’s picks," 22 Sep. 2019 This statement arguably takes the biscuit, with Pogba choosing to fade the phrase 'Pogboom' into his head before Euro 2016. — SI.com, "50 Most Unforgettable Haircuts in World Football," 10 July 2019 But the son ended up with a mouth full of cotton because his mother had stuffed the biscuits with cotton balls as an April Fools’ Day joke. — Jessica Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Sherry Elberfeld, retired teacher from McDonogh and St. James, dies," 26 June 2019 The menu will consist of pancakes with a fixings bar, sausage, eggs, biscuits and sausage gravy, and more. — Shiela Johnson, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "North Carroll: ‘Holiday Happenings’ approaching, plus Santa breakfasts, Yuletide Village, more," 19 Nov. 2019 Himitsu found fans standing in line for egg custard with ginger and sea urchin, and a twist on spiced Peking duck with baked-to-order biscuits instead of the usual pancakes. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "Pom Pom shakes itself free from Himitsu in Petworth," 18 Oct. 2019 At Southside, there are also pastries, sure, but also a great all-day breakfast menu that includes avocado toast (obviously) but also biscuits and gravy. — David Ferry, SFChronicle.com, "One Day, One Place: Yountville, Napa Valley," 17 Oct. 2019

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.