cornbread
Americannoun
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Also called Indian bread. a quick bread made from cornmeal and often including buttermilk or bacon drippings, originating from the cooking of Native Americans and common in the American South.
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Also called Jewish corn rye. Also called kornbroyt. a heavy sourdough rye bread, usually dusted with cornmeal.
Etymology
Origin of cornbread
An Americanism dating back to 1740–50
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.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is a fan of Alta Baja’s blue cornbread; Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee held a meet-and-greet there when she ran for president two years ago.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
This recipe, courtesy of Food52, swaps out traditional ladyfingers for cornbread, which is made from boxed Jiffy corn muffin mix, whole milk and an egg.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
When it tested swapping in cornbread skillets for its original muffins in a handful of locations in early 2024, some diners balked.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025
He speaks softly but passionately about his work and the show as we converse before a meal of brisket, cornbread and an assortment of sides.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2025
But that still didn’t keep him from hanging onto that piece of cornbread that he’d stolen from Mama.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
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.
