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• scone
  scone

  noun

  a small, light, biscuitlike quick bread made of oatmeal, wheat flour, barley meal, or the like.
• Scone
  Scone

  noun

  a village in central Scotland: site of coronation of Scottish kings until 1651.

scone

¹ American  

[skohn, skon] / skoʊn, skɒn /

noun

1. a small, light, biscuitlike quick bread made of oatmeal, wheat flour, barley meal, or the like.

2. biscuit.

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Scone ² American  

[skoon, skohn] / skun, skoʊn /

noun

1. a village in central Scotland: site of coronation of Scottish kings until 1651.

2. Stone of, a stone, formerly at Scone, Scotland, upon which Scottish kings sat at coronation, now placed beneath the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey.

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scone ¹ British  

noun

1. a light plain doughy cake made from flour with very little fat, cooked in an oven or (esp originally) on a griddle, usually split open and buttered

2. a slang word for head

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adjective

1. slang

   1. angry

   2. insane

Scone ² British  

/ skuːn /

noun

1. a parish in Perth and Kinross, E Scotland, consisting of the two villages of New Scone and Old Scone, formerly the site of the Pictish capital and the stone upon which medieval Scottish kings were crowned. The stone was removed to Westminster Abbey by Edward I in 1296; it was returned to Scotland in 1996 and placed in Edinburgh Castle. Scone Palace was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style in the 19th century

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Etymology

Origin of scone

1505–15; shortened < earlier Dutch schoonbrot fine bread, white bread. See sheen, bread

Explanation

Order a scone at a bakery and you'll get a slightly sweet, rich baked good made with baking soda. Scones are traditionally baked in a large circle and cut into triangular pieces. A scone is like a quick bread, leavened with baking soda instead of yeast and baked on a sheet or griddle. They often contain currants, raisins, or other fruit. In the U.S., scones are dryer and more crumbly than in the U.K., (where they might call American scones "rock cakes"). Scone comes from Scottish, a shortened version of the Dutch schoon brood, "fine bread," and its Middle Dutch roots, schoon, "bright," and broot, "bread."

Example Sentences

Kill a dozen birds with one homemade scone, if you will.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Tattie scone - A type of flat savoury cake made with flour and mashed cooked potatoes.

From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025

Clark gets right to the heart of the matter from the jump, writing, “What do you call a scone crossed with a jam cake and a cinnamon roll?”

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2024

Then, in 1921, Fujii visited America where he was introduced to the classic strawberry shortcake: made by topping a slightly crunchy scone with fresh-whipped cream and fruit.

From Salon • Dec. 24, 2023

Mrs. Shainmark stops with a scone halfway to her mouth.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

• bread
• doughnut
• muffin
• pastry