cornflakes

American

[kawrn-fleyks] / 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.

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

This time I had to shrug and remind myself: It’s a good thing I like cornflakes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

In the event, viewers were not ready for a heavyweight agenda over their cornflakes, much preferring the BBC's lighter magazine style of programme.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2024

Everything felt squishy, and the answer sheet for my test had turned soggy, sort of like how cornflakes left overnight in half a bowl of milk look, with about the same smell.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

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