wafer

1 of 2

noun

wa·​fer ˈwā-fər 

plural wafers

1

a

: a thin crisp cake, candy, or cracker

b

: a round thin piece of unleavened bread used in the celebration of the Eucharist

2

: an adhesive disk of dried paste with added coloring matter used as a seal

3

a

: a thin disk or ring resembling a wafer and variously used (as for a valve or diaphragm)

b

: a thin slice of semiconductor (such as silicon) used as a base for an electronic component or circuit

wafer-like

ˈwā-fər-ˌlīk 

adjective

or less commonly waferlike

wafer-like cookies

a wafer-like electronic sensor

wafer

2 of 2

verb

wafered; wafering ˈwā-f(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to seal, close, or fasten with a wafer

2

: to divide (something, such as a silicon rod) into wafers

Examples of wafer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This layered pie starts with a chocolate wafer cookie crust. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2025

The wafers inside KitKat candies are made with wheat flour. —Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 25 Oct. 2025

Verb

The dessert — a banana cake baked with banana puree, Nilla wafers and filled with vanilla pudding — was followed up by the seasonal lemon raspberry cake, which returned to menus Monday, July 14. —Tanasia Kenney, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2025

Banana pudding fluff and traditional banana pudding have a lot in common: plenty of banana flavor and banana slices to bite into, nilla wafers that soften in the custard, and creamy vanilla-scented pudding. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 1 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French wafer, walfre, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch wafele waffle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing wafer

• wafer-thin

Rhymes for wafer

• chafer
• safer

Kids Definition

wafer

noun

wa·​fer

ˈwā-fər

1

a

: a thin crisp cake or cracker

b

: a round thin piece of bread used in the sacrament of Communion

2

: something (as a piece of candy or a computer chip) resembling a wafer especially in thin round form

Medical Definition

wafer

noun

wa·​fer ˈwā-fər 

: cachet