pancake

American  

[pan-keyk] / ˈpænˌkeɪk /

noun

1. a thin, flat cake of batter fried on both sides on a griddle or in a frying pan; griddlecake or flapjack.

2. Also called pancake landing.  an airplane landing made by pancaking.

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verb (used without object)

pancaked, pancaking

1. (of an airplane or the like) to drop flat to the ground after leveling off a few feet above it.

verb (used with object)

pancaked, pancaking

1. Informal. to flatten, especially as the result of a collision or other mishap.

   The car had been pancaked by the bus.

2. to cause (an airplane) to pancake.

pancake British  

/ ˈpænˌkeɪk /

noun

1. 1. a thin flat cake made from batter and fried on both sides, often served rolled and filled with a sweet or savoury mixture

   2. ( as modifier )

      pancake mix

2. a Scot name for drop scone

3. a stick or flat cake of compressed make-up

4. Also called: pancake landing.  an aircraft landing made by levelling out a few feet from the ground and then dropping onto it

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verb

1. to cause (an aircraft) to make a pancake landing or (of an aircraft) to make a pancake landing

pancake Idioms  

1. see flat as a pancake.

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Regionalisms

Pancake, hot cake, griddlecake, and flapjack, with its derived slapjack, are used interchangeably by many people, regardless of whether a pan or griddle is used for cooking, and each term is widely used throughout the U.S. Flannel cake, however, is confined chiefly to the North Midland U.S. and battercake to South Midland and Southern U.S. The following terms have limited regional use and may refer to flat cakes with different recipes or cooking methods: johnnycake, which is used in the Northeastern U.S.; corn cake in the Midland and Southern U.S.; and hoecake in the South Midland and Southern U.S.

Etymology

Origin of pancake

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; see origin at pan ¹, cake

Explanation

A pancake is a breakfast dish, a flat cake that's made by pouring batter into a hot pan and frying it on both sides. Many people like to eat their pancakes with a drizzle of maple syrup. While pancakes can be savory, they're more often a sweet breakfast food in the US. Most pancakes begin as a mixture of flour, eggs, milk, and butter, are fried on a greased griddle, and are circular in shape. Pancakes have a long history, stretching as least as far back as ancient Greece, and appear in various forms throughout the world, from savory African injera to the sweet Finnish dessert pancakes known as lettu.

Example Sentences

Its undulating form has earned its share of abuse, and it has been compared to a pancake or an amoeba.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Sweet breakfasts have never been my natural habitat—good oatmeal is a beloved, comparatively rare exception, as is a single yeasty, griddled buttermilk diner pancake swimming in syrup.

From Salon • Jan. 29, 2026

"We squished it flat, like a pancake," Zhao said, "and suddenly we had a low-cost, high-performing design that was much easier to fabricate."

From Science Daily • Jan. 19, 2026

If you and I went to breakfast together, I would never ask, “Do you want a pancake for the table?” because I don’t need you to be my accomplice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

My teacher, flimsy pancake that she was, panicked and said okay.

From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi

Related Words

• cake
• crepe
• waffle