pancake

1 of 3

noun

pan·​cake ˈpan-ˌkāk How to pronounce pancake (audio)
: a flat cake made of thin batter and cooked (as on a griddle) on both sides

pancake

2 of 3

verb

pancaked; pancaking

transitive verb

1
: to cause to pancake
2
: to knock flat

Pan-Cake

3 of 3

trademark

used for a cosmetic in semimoist cake form

Examples of pancake in a Sentence

Noun We had blueberry pancakes and sausage for breakfast. She wore sequins, false eyelashes, and pancake onstage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In some polling stations there was a circus atmosphere, with prizes handed out, free pancakes, people voting wearing fancy dress, singers performing, or folk dancers whirling. Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Vasquez uses her comal to prepare tortillas, grill vegetables, toast bread and to simply reheat foods like pancakes. Naz Deravian, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 This annual celebration features all sorts of live entertainment from Celtic rock and bagpipes to Irish folk music and dancing, authentic Irish foods and beverages, an Irish marketplace with more than 250 vendors, a firefighters pancake breakfast, roaming leprechauns, carnival rides and a parade. Brittany Delay, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Plastic containers of pancake and waffle mix containing raw, unpasteurized eggs also were stored on the top rack above containers of strawberry puree, salsa verde and cooked crepes. Michael Braga, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Served sizzling in their skillet, the small cup-like pancakes are chewy with a thin crispy exterior, the result of rice flour used in baking. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 The limited-time breakfast includes four green buttermilk pancakes topped with creamy cheesecake mousse, Girl Scout Thin Mints pieces, and whipped topping. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Part of why this pan has a more domed shape is because it can be used to make appam, a lacy, South Indian pancake, and hoppers, thin Sri Lankan crepes that can come with or without an egg in the center. Micki Wagner, Saveur, 21 Feb. 2024 Set in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, known as the pancake capital of the world due to its multiple pancake restaurants, the Eggo House of Pancakes couldn’t be situated in a more fitting location. Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Skeletal remains of buildings bowed under roofs that pancaked in the blaze. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 12 Aug. 2023 Armstead pancaked Mahomes on third-and-5 from the 49ers’ 9-yard line, forcing the Chiefs to settle for a Butker field goal that snapped the shutout bid but reduced the 49ers’ lead to just 10-3 with 20 seconds until halftime. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2024 The couple were still mourning their two sons who were killed when a powerful earthquake pancaked their six-story apartment building in southern Turkey before dawn last February. Safak Timur Emin Ozmen, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Unfortunately, their snow, while deep, had pancaked and the skiing on the lower slopes, while untracked, was, frankly, no good for skiing. Dan Schilling, Outside Online, 17 Apr. 2023 The driver's car, found pancaked at the bottom of the ravine, was unrecognizable, according to Leum. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 25 July 2023 Officials said the failure happened when the second floor fell into the first, causing all the floors to pancake all the way into the basement. Heavier Vehicles, Curbed, 21 Apr. 2023 Modern and traditional recipes punctuate the narrative — the lush New York Shuk Salad with its creamy roast eggplant and saffron yogurt finish, the fresh whey ceviche, and whey pancakes to please everyone. Deborah Reid, Washington Post, 17 May 2023 Pictures and video from the scene, at 57 Ann Street, between Nassau and William Streets, showed cars pancaked atop one another and dust rising from the wreckage. Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pancake.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1911, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of pancake was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pancake

Cite this Entry

“Pancake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pancake. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pancake

noun
pan·​cake
ˈpan-ˌkāk
: a flat cake usually made of thin batter and cooked on both sides on a griddle or in a frying pan

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