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

Example Sentences

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
That’s a Lady Baltimore cake, an old-fashioned confection that deserves more play on dessert lists. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 17 May 2023 Palmer's Village Cafe, Saint Simons Island, Georgia For Southern staples — grits, crab cakes, and pancakes — hit up Palmer's Village Café. Mahita Gajanan, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2023 Our pick for the best Instant Pot comes with nine cooking functions including pressure cook, steam, saute, yogurt, cake, sous vide, and more. Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 May 2023 Try cinnamon baked apples, berries or grilled peaches instead of cookies, cake, ice cream, pastries and other sweet treats, Drayer said. Katie Hunt, CNN, 15 May 2023 Their parents would go all out overseeing games and serving Edith’s delicious, freshly baked cakes and cookies. Smithsonian Magazine, 15 May 2023 Seventy years later, cakes and other treats are central to the celebrations. Eshe Nelson, New York Times, 4 May 2023 Try sopes, savory corn cakes that are popular Mexican street food, made with fresh or dried corn masa. Sally Pasley Vargas, BostonGlobe.com, 2 May 2023 The longtime couple celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary, with Wilson sharing a sweet photo of Hanks presenting her with a cake on her Instagram and Twitter Sunday. Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 30 Apr. 2023
Verb
Its formula is meant to brighten up a dull complexion and keep skin hydrated, all without feeling heavy or appearing caked up on the skin. Michelle Rostamian, Peoplemag, 14 May 2023 The wallpaper was peeling and cracks in the walls were caked with dirt. Hannah Lucinda Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2023 Spring cleaning has its roots in a dirtier time, when people heated their homes by burning wood and, later, coal, and the end of winter meant scrubbing surfaces caked with soot and dirt. Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023 Then, a painting caked in dust and almost entirely hidden by a door caught the auctioneer’s eye. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023 As a cold spell swept through Mumbai in January and people donned sweaters and balaclavas to keep warm, a dusty haze hung in the air, occasionally caking onto leaves and piling into mounds on street corners. WIRED, 8 Mar. 2023 This is a brand dedicated to concealing but not caking. Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Feb. 2023 In the town, houses were caked in noxious mud and debris. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2023 Clean Caked-On Grime If the grime is caked on, remove the grill grates and soak them in buckets of soapy water for 15 minutes or more. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Mar. 2023 See More

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 2 Jun. 2023.

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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