muffin

American  

[muhf-in] / ˈmʌf ɪn /

noun

• muffins
  plural

1. an individual cup-shaped quick bread made with wheat flour, cornmeal, or the like, and baked in a pan muffin pan containing a series of cuplike forms.

2. English muffin.

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muffin British  

/ ˈmʌfɪn /

noun

1. a thick round baked yeast roll, usually toasted and served with butter

2. a small cup-shaped sweet bread roll, usually eaten hot with butter

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• muffins
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of muffin

First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain

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Explanation

A muffin is a small baked good made from batter. Don't kid yourself: the only real difference between a slice of cake and a muffin is the shape. Muffins are single-serving quick breads, which rise with the help of baking soda or baking powder and eggs instead of yeast. They tend to be sweet and somewhat moist, but heavier than a cake or cupcake. Muffins are baked in a pan with cup-sized indentations. The word was originally moofin, which may come from the Low German muffe, "small cake," or the Old French moflet, "soft or tender."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

muffin muffins

I wanted something small like a bran muffin and quickly scanned the menu for “I Am Regular” to no avail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Pour the mixture into a mini muffin pan and bake.

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

Eating eggs and avocado on an English muffin, I see that someone I follow has shared a Substack note from neuroscientist Manuela Kouakou:

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

This time in England when Molly ate a muffin containing milk.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

Adrienne picks at what’s left of her banana-chocolate- chip muffin.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead

Instead the AI invented several bizarre concoctions, from bacon and eggs floating in a glass of cola - a confusion between "soda" and "soda bread" - to chips poking out of muffins.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

Hunks of sourdough or Texas toast, torn cornbread muffins or classic white sandwich bread, Hawaiian rolls or challah: all solid choices.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Others displayed muffins for $10.50 and breakfast biscuits for $12.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Together they lit some incense and munched on muffins and chips and guacamole.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

And with blueberries or huckleberries, there might be pie and then muffins for breakfast besides and maybe pudding for lunch.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

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Related Words

• bread
• doughnut
• pastry
• scone

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