gingerbread

noun

gin·​ger·​bread ˈjin-jər-ˌbred 

1

: a cake whose ingredients include molasses and ginger

2

[from the fancy shapes and gilding formerly often applied to gingerbread] : lavish or superfluous ornament especially in architecture

gingerbread adjective

gingerbreaded

ˈjin-jər-ˌbre-dəd 

adjective

gingerbready

ˈjin-jər-ˌbre-dē 

adjective

Examples of gingerbread in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Christmas-y gingerbread sticks to the countertop, and the rugelach — a sweet Jewish holiday treat — accidentally goes into the oven without the cinnamon sugar topping. —Chloe Veltman, NPR, 23 Dec. 2024

Following the success of the museum’s holiday gingerbread village exhibit built with Lego bricks, the Sunnyvale Historical Society is again collaborating with the Bay Area Lego Users Group (BayLUG) for a re-creation of Roaring Camp and Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad in Felton. —Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 22 June 2025

After exploring the Cologne Cathedral, guests can meander through festive stalls and try lebkuchen—the spiced gingerbread holiday favorite. —Taryn White, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2025

The finish is long and layered, featuring lingering spices, lemon curd, sugar cookies, and gingerbread notes. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing gingerbread

• gingerbread man

Rhymes for gingerbread

• abovesaid
• aforesaid
• arrowhead
• casinghead
• copperhead
• figurehead
• fountainhead
• hammerhead
• infrared
• leatherhead
• letterhead
• loggerhead

Kids Definition

gingerbread

noun

gin·​ger·​bread ˈjin-jər-ˌbred 

1

: a cake made with molasses and flavored with ginger

2

: showy ornamentation especially in architecture

gingerbread adjective