petit four

American  

[pet-ee fawr, fohr, puh-tee foor] / ˈpɛt i ˈfɔr, ˈfoʊr, pə ti ˈfur /

noun

petits fours, plural petit fours plural

1. a small teacake, variously frosted and decorated.

---

petit four British  

/ pəti fur, ˈpɛtɪ ˈfɔː /

noun

1. any of various very small rich sweet cakes and biscuits, usually decorated with fancy icing, marzipan, etc

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• petit fours
  plural
• petits fours
  plural

Etymology

Origin of petit four

1880–85; < French: literally, small oven

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

petit four

Pungent dried scallops are in a sweet-and-savory fudge petit four, not a classic soup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

A server emerged from the kitchen carrying a birthday cake shaped like a giant petit four.

From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2022

They’ll end the meal with a “sip of tea,” a petit four formation styled in honor of Japanese tea and cherry blossoms.

From Time ● Apr. 28, 2015

But it is not 1962, a petit four is not a silk screen, and McDonald’s burgers are not merely a symbol of commercialism.

From Slate ● May 3, 2013

“Freedom is always a comfort,” Cecilia said, ignoring my request and thrusting a chocolate petit four into my hand.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall