take the cake

Cultural  

1. To be the most outstanding; sometimes used in a derogatory sense: “When it comes to eating like a pig, Gordy really takes the cake.”

---

take the cake Idioms  

1. Be the most outstanding in some respect, either the best or the worst. For example, That advertising slogan really took the cake, or What a mess they made of the concert—that takes the cake! This expression alludes to a contest called a cakewalk, in which a cake is the prize. Its figurative use, for something either excellent or outrageously bad, dates from the 1880s.

---

Example Sentences

Cake and Colbert in bed We take the cake home with us, and in bed we watch Colbert and eat cake and then brush our teeth because there’s been so much cake.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025

"The attorney general’s lawyers have often appeared frustrated during this trial, but this morning’s session may take the cake," wrote the Times' Kate Christobek, who was reporting from the courthouse.

From Salon • Nov. 13, 2023

The streets of Seattle take the cake for the worst, possibly in the nation.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 19, 2023

The following decade brought three more No. 1 hits before 2019 saw "All I Want for Christmas is You" take the cake in both that year and the next.

From Fox News • Nov. 1, 2020

I didn’t take the cake from the angel’s hand.

From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• conquer
• dominate
• flourish
• overcome
• overwhelm
• prevail
• prosper
• sweep
• thrive
• trounce
• win