cake
Americannoun
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a sweet, baked, breadlike food, made with or without shortening, and usually containing flour, sugar, baking powder or soda, eggs, and liquid flavoring.
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a flat, thin mass of bread, especially unleavened bread.
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a shaped or molded mass of other food.
a fish cake.
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a shaped or compressed mass.
a cake of soap; a cake of ice.
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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.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
idioms
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take the cake,
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to surpass all others, especially in some undesirable quality; be extraordinary or unusual.
His arrogance takes the cake.
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to win first prize.
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a piece of cake, something easily done.
She thought her first solo flight was a piece of cake.
noun
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a baked food, usually in loaf or layer form, typically made from a mixture of flour, sugar, and eggs
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a flat thin mass of bread, esp unleavened bread
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a shaped mass of dough or other food of similar consistency
a fish cake
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a mass, slab, or crust of a solidified or compressed substance, as of soap or ice
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to enjoy both of two desirable but incompatible alternatives
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informal to be sold very quickly or in large quantities
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informal something that is easily achieved or obtained
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informal to surpass all others, esp in stupidity, folly, etc
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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
verb
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(tr) to cover with a hard layer; encrust
the hull was caked with salt
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to form or be formed into a hardened mass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cakesimple
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cakessimple
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have cakedperfect
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has cakedperfect
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are cakingprogressive
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am cakingprogressive
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is cakingprogressive
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have been cakingperfect progressive
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has been cakingperfect progressive
Past
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cakedsimple
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had cakedperfect
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was cakingprogressive
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were cakingprogressive
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had been cakingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cake
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Then again, who among us hasn’t requested a parade of knuckle sandwiches with our cake and candles?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Similar recipe guides consulted professional bakers and award-winning pastry chefs alike, asking them what their favorite boxed cake mix is and their best upgrades.
From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026
In the past five years, boxed cake mix has grown in popularity, with interest reaching a recorded peak between October and November 2025.
From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026
But the truth is, I still love a boxed cake mix.
From Salon • Jun. 14, 2026
Penelope merely smiled and shoved a forkful of cake into her mouth.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
