muffin

American  

[muhf-in] / ˈmʌf ɪn /

noun

1. an individual cup-shaped quick bread made with wheat flour, cornmeal, or the like, and baked in a pan muffin pan containing a series of cuplike forms.

2. English muffin.

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muffin British  

/ ˈmʌfɪn /

noun

1. a thick round baked yeast roll, usually toasted and served with butter

2. a small cup-shaped sweet bread roll, usually eaten hot with butter

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Etymology

Origin of muffin

First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain

Explanation

A muffin is a small baked good made from batter. Don't kid yourself: the only real difference between a slice of cake and a muffin is the shape. Muffins are single-serving quick breads, which rise with the help of baking soda or baking powder and eggs instead of yeast. They tend to be sweet and somewhat moist, but heavier than a cake or cupcake. Muffins are baked in a pan with cup-sized indentations. The word was originally moofin, which may come from the Low German muffe, "small cake," or the Old French moflet, "soft or tender."

Example Sentences

Eating eggs and avocado on an English muffin, I see that someone I follow has shared a Substack note from neuroscientist Manuela Kouakou:

From Slate • May 10, 2026

This time in England when Molly ate a muffin containing milk.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Historically, it was basically a couple of flavors of muffin tops.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

From classic corn, cheddar, and bacon, to autumnal butternut squash with sage, to a “farmers market” mix of roasted vegetables, goat cheese, and onion jam, each muffin can be its own little experiment.

From Salon • Dec. 18, 2025

“December 26 “The pond is a white muffin, the millhouse has disappeared under a snowdrift, and Alice and I are playing checkers with groundnuts and dried apples.

From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

Related Words

• bread
• doughnut
• pastry
• scone