cake

1 of 2

noun

ˈkāk 

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

Synonyms of cake

Noun

• patty

Verb

• smear
• coat
• crust
• rime
• cover
• encrust

Examples of cake in a Sentence

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

My friends had Pop-Tarts, snack cakes, and other ultraprocessed foods in their lunchboxes. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

The daughter participated in all parts of the party, expecting a goodie bag, cake, pizza, etc. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026

Verb

The team offers several classes per week, with a mix of hands-on and demonstration instruction across topics like steak, bread making, and cake baking and decorating. —Nicole Schnitzler, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026

There are five different hot sauces, exactly 58 tortillas and a variety of sweet treats, from pudding and cobbler to cake, chocolate and cookies. —Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing cake

• angel food cake
• a piece of cake
• a slice of the cake
• cake pop
• carrot cake
• Christmas cake
• coffee cake
• devil's food cake
• fairy cake
• fish cake
• griddle cake
• have one's cake and eat it
• have one's cake and eat it too
• icing on the cake
• king cake
• lava cake
• layer cake
• marble cake
• oil cake
• pat-a-cake
• patty-cake
• piece of cake
• pound cake
• sheet cake
• sponge cake
• take the cake
• tea cake
• tres leches cake
• upside-down cake
• wedding cake
• wheat cake

Rhymes for cake

• ache
• ake
• bake
• brake
• break
• craik
• crake
• fake
• flake
• hake
• jake
• lake

Kids Definition

cake

1 of 2 noun

ˈkāk 

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