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.

---

verb (used with object)

caked, caking

1. to form into a crust or compact mass.

verb (used without object)

caked, caking

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

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

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

Sharing the image on social media, Kensington Palace wrote: 'Wishing Charlotte a very happy 11th birthday!' followed by a cake emoji.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

According to folklore, when she was told the poor were running out of bread, she responded: "Let them eat cake".

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Photos showed a pickup basketball game with pink and blue jerseys, a heart-shaped white cake and a Bible in which guests were invited to highlight favorite passages for the pair’s first child.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

Dessert included a chocolate cake served with crème fraîche ice cream and White House honey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

We were having a Thank Goodness Ida B’s All Right Celebration right then and there, and all that was missing were cake and presents.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Related Words

• loaf