cake

American  

[keyk] / keɪk /

noun

1. a sweet, baked, breadlike food, made with or without shortening, and usually containing flour, sugar, baking powder or soda, eggs, and liquid flavoring.

2. a flat, thin mass of bread, especially unleavened bread.

3. pancake; griddlecake.

4. a shaped or molded mass of other food.

   a fish cake.

5. a shaped or compressed mass.

   a cake of soap; a cake of ice.

6. Animal Husbandry. a compacted block of soybeans, cottonseeds, or linseeds from which the oil has been pressed, usually used as a feed or feed supplement for cattle.

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verb (used with object)

cakes, present (3rd person singular) caked, past participle, past caking present participle

1. to form into a crust or compact mass.

verb (used without object)

cakes, present (3rd person singular) caked, past participle, past caking present participle

1. to become formed into a crust or compact mass.

   Synonyms:

   congeal, dry, solidify, harden

idioms

1. take the cake,

   1. to surpass all others, especially in some undesirable quality; be extraordinary or unusual.

      His arrogance takes the cake.

   2. to win first prize.

2. a piece of cake, something easily done.

   She thought her first solo flight was a piece of cake.

cake British  

/ keɪk /

noun

1. a baked food, usually in loaf or layer form, typically made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and eggs

2. a flat thin mass of bread, esp unleavened bread

3. a shaped mass of dough or other food of similar consistency

   a fish cake

4. a mass, slab, or crust of a solidified or compressed substance, as of soap or ice

5. to enjoy both of two desirable but incompatible alternatives

6. informal to be sold very quickly or in large quantities

7. informal something that is easily achieved or obtained

8. informal to surpass all others, esp in stupidity, folly, etc

9. informal the whole or total of something that is to be shared or divided

   the miners are demanding a larger slice of the cake

   that is a fair method of sharing the cake

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verb

1. (tr) to cover with a hard layer; encrust

   the hull was caked with salt

2. to form or be formed into a hardened mass

cake More Idioms  

1. see eat one's cake and have it, too; flat as a pancake; icing on the cake; nutty as a fruitcake; piece of cake; sell like hot cakes; slice of the pie (cake); take the cake.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• caky
  adjective
• cakey
  adjective
• noncaking
  adjective
• uncake
  verb (used with object)

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has caked
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have caked
  perfect
• is caking
  progressive 3rd person singular
• are caking
  progressive
• am caking
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been caking
  perfect progressive
• has been caking
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• caking
  participle
• cakes
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had caked
  perfect
• had been caking
  perfect progressive
• was caking
  progressive singular
• were caking
  progressive plural
• caked
  participle
• caked
  simple

Future

• will cake
  simple
• will have caked
  perfect
• will be caking
  progressive
• will have been caking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cake

1200–50; Middle English < Old Norse kaka; akin to Middle English kechel little cake, German Kuchen; see cookie

Explanation

A cake is a baked dessert that's often topped with frosting or decorations. For many people, it's not a proper birthday without a birthday cake. Most cakes are made with flour, fat, a sweetener, and something to make the cake rise — like eggs or baking powder. You might prefer denser, richer cheesecakes or tiny, delicate cupcakes, or even a savory version made of potatoes and vegetables. If someone says, "Well, that takes the cake," they're expressing their surprise at something, and if you say, "That exam was a piece of cake," it as easy as eating a piece of cake.

Example Sentences

"They are definitely becoming a feature in our landscape and are spreading from the countryside to the urban environment," says Bronya Seifert of Daisy Cake Company.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

The average cost of moving in New Jersey is $900, according to Piece of Cake Moving & Storage.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

Today, my husband, British actor Jonathan Cake, and I live with our two kids in the English countryside.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

Yuriy later abandoned his law career to work in an Odesa boulangerie called "Make My Cake".

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

“You know how Cake, sorry, I mean Keiko, was all into those boring old black-and-white movies? I got her to watch better retro movies, from the eighties.”

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

Related Words

• loaf