cupcake
Americannoun
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a small cake, the size of an individual portion, baked in a cup-shaped mold.
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Older Slang.
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a sexually attractive young woman.
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a beloved girl or woman.
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noun
Etymology
Origin of cupcake
Explanation
A cupcake is a small, sweet baked good topped with frosting. You might bake cupcakes for your best friend's birthday. When you make cupcakes, you mix up cake batter and instead of baking it in large pans, pour it into the small, paper-lined indentations in a cupcake or muffin pan. Some people prefer cupcakes to cakes, because they're the perfect serving size. In Britain and Australia, cupcakes are called "fairy cakes." Cupcake is an American English word dating from the 19th century.
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.
“Freeze in ice cube trays or silicone cupcake trays, bag, and label. You will never buy bouillon again.”
From Salon • May 30, 2026
The 10-2 Irish lost their first two games of the season before embarking on their usual cupcake schedule.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2025
Plus we all saw you dip a cupcake into a bag of Stove Top.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025
When she and Elphaba brawl, Grande hurl-plops onto her rival like a cupcake in a food fight.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
He hands me one of the cupcakes and says, “I got you a vanilla and me chocolate,” and then takes a big bite out of his cupcake.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
