cornflakes

American

[kawrn-flayks] / ˈkɔrnˌfleɪks /

Or corn flakes

noun

(used with a plural verb)

a packaged breakfast cereal in the form of small toasted flakes made from corn, for serving cold with milk, sugar, etc.

cornflakes British

/ ˈkɔːnˌfleɪks /

plural noun

a breakfast cereal made from toasted maize, eaten with milk, sugar, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cornflakes

1905–10, corn ¹ + flakes, plural of flake ¹

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.

See Examples For:

cornflakes

Eleven U.S. innovations, such as cornflakes, the implantable pacemaker and the microwave, were born from accidental discoveries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

The popularity of the hermit crab as a pet soared in the 1970s, when one company branded them “Crazy Crabs” and told buyers they would eat anything: pizza, cookies, cornflakes!

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025

When I mentioned it recently to my mother, she said, “Oh, well. Time for a break then. Otherwise it’s like eating the same bowl of cornflakes every day for 19 years.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

In her pocket, the exact change from the cornflakes she had bought.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2024

I slid down behind the table and started in on the bowl of cornflakes she had waiting for me.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023