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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Pancake: I was at the “No Kings” rally all morning and afternoon yesterday and so I’m at the opera today.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025

Celebrate Pancake Day with the best and worst goal celebration flips from the Premier League featuring Nani, Lomana LuaLua and Robbie Keane.

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2024

Trader Joe’s notably sells a slew of ube-themed food items, including ube flavored ice cream, Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix and Ube Spread.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2024

The 84th Annual festival, August 18-19, remains every bit as fun and wholesome with a Grand Parade, a Music Crawl, and a Pancake Breakfast, among other traditional events.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 7, 2023

We here at Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake Houses, Inc., take pride in our strong commitment to the environment.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• cake
• crepe
• waffle