What does "cake" mean?

1. (sweet dessert) a sweet food made from flour, sugar, and eggs, usually baked and often covered in icing. 2. (solid block) a solid, flat piece of something, like soap or ice. 3. (money) a slang word for money. 4. (buttocks) a slang word for a person's bottom, especially if it is large. 5. (to cover thickly) to cover something with a thick, hard layer of something else, like mud.

How do you use "cake"?

Often used in the passive voice with 'in' or 'with'.

cake

US //ˈkeɪk// UK //kˈeɪk// cake

1 sweet dessert (n.)
A1 Beginner Cooking

a sweet food made from flour, sugar, and eggs, usually baked and often covered in icing.

a sweet baked confection typically composed of flour, sugar, eggs, and leavening agents.

Example

She baked a chocolate cake for her brother's birthday party.

Example

The pastry chef decorated the tiered wedding cake with intricate fondant flowers and a delicate vanilla glaze.
- gateau
- sponge
2 solid block (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

a solid, flat piece of something, like soap or ice.

a shaped or compressed mass of a solid substance.

Example

He used a small cake of soap to wash his hands in the stream.

Example

The hikers carried concentrated cakes of fuel to ensure they could start a fire in the damp conditions.

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3 money (n.)
C1 Advanced Slang Informal

a slang word for money.

a slang term for money, often implying wealth or a large sum.

Example

He's been working overtime because he wants to make some serious cake.

Example

After the tech startup was acquired, the founders walked away with enough cake to retire comfortably in their thirties.
4 buttocks (n.)
C2 Proficiency Slang Vulgar

a slang word for a person's bottom, especially if it is large.

a slang reference to the buttocks, typically used to describe a plump or muscular appearance.

Example

The gym leggings were designed to show off her cake.

Example

The social media comments were filled with slang praising the athlete's physique and cake after the competition.
- backside
- rear
5 to cover thickly (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate

to cover something with a thick, hard layer of something else, like mud.

to coat or cover a surface with a thick, often hardened layer of a substance.

Example

The children's boots were caked in dried mud after the hike.

Example

By the end of the desert rally, the engine components were caked with a fine layer of abrasive silt.

Usage

Often used in the passive voice with 'in' or 'with'.

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *kakǭ Old Norse kakabor. Middle English cake English cake From Middle English cake, from Old Norse kaka (“cake”) (compare Norwegian kake, Icelandic/Swedish kaka, Danish kage), from Proto-Germanic *kakǭ, of disputed origin. Likely a distant cognate with kaak. Perhaps related to cookie, kuchen, and quiche. Doublet of coca (pastry).

Idioms12 entries