What does "pancake" mean?
A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular:; In England, an often unleavened cake similar to a crepe.
Pancake
/ˈpæn.keɪk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular:; In England, an often unleavened cake similar to a crepe.
- Grammar: pancake is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: flapjack, hotcake, griddlecake, alight.
- Useful contrasts: waffle.
- Usage evidence: Two new species of pancake batfishes have been found in the area affected by the BP oil spill.
How to use "pancake"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pancake" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pancake" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pancake" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pancake" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pancake" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "flapjack" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pancake", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular:; In England, an often unleavened cake similar to a crepe. countable, uncountable
- 2 a flat cake of thin batter fried on both sides on a griddle wordnet
- 3 A thin batter cake fried in a pan or on a griddle in oil or butter; in particular:; In the US (and e.g. Scotland), a leavened, thicker, fluffier cake. countable, uncountable
"Mrs. America is holding a plate of pancakes in one hand and a fork with a slice of pancake in the other."
- 4 A kind of makeup, consisting of a thick layer of a compressed powder. uncountable
"And us, me wearing pancake with my eyebrows recently plucked archly, done by Little Amber, the beauty-school student quean, in Bryant Park."
- 5 A type of throw, usually with a ring where the prop is thrown in such a way that it rotates round an axis of the diameter of the prop. countable
"have been working on pancake throws with rings for the past few months and I have been trying to make the throws perfectly spun and as consistent as possible."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 Anything very thin and flat. countable
"pancake lens"
- 7 Composite leather made of scraps, glue and board, by extension of (4), material originally used for insoles, but later used also for heels and even soles. uncountable
"&hellip in the poorer grades the heel is made of scrap leather and leather board or pulp, finished with a solid leather top lift. The composite material, called pancake, is made by an operative, usually a girl, called a pancake-maker; it is used sometimes for soles as well as heels."
- 8 A box on which an actor stands to make them appear taller. countable, slang
- 9 A defensive play in which the ball bounces off the top of a hand that has been pressed flat against the floor. countable
- 10 An attractive young woman. US, countable, dated, slang
"Damon Runyon, The Brakeman's Daughter 'To tell the truth,' The Humming Bird says, 'I neglect these details, because,' he says, 'I am already dated up to go out with Big False Face to-night to call on a doll who is daffy to meet me. Otherwise,' he says, 'I will undoubtedly make arrangements to see more of this pancake I just save from rack and ruin.'"
Verb
- 1 To make a pancake landing. intransitive
- 2 To collapse one floor after another.
- 3 To flatten violently. transitive
"Poor old Sleepy suffered from an on-duty head injury he'd got by chasing a Corvette on a police motorcycle, ending up like a pancaked roadkill with half his scalp flapping in the backwash of freeway commuters[…]"
- 4 To lie out flat, like a pancake; sploot. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"Two new species of pancake batfishes have been found in the area affected by the BP oil spill."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pancake"?
Common synonyms include: flapjack, hotcake, griddlecake, alight, battercake, blintz.
How do you use "pancake" in a sentence?
Two new species of pancake batfishes have been found in the area affected by the BP oil spill.
How do you pronounce "pancake"?
Pronounced /ˈpæn.keɪk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English pancake, panne cake, pankake, ponkake. By surface analysis, pan + cake. Perhaps adapted from Middle Low German pankôke, pannekôke, from Old Saxon *pannakōko (suggested by derivatives Old Saxon pannakōkilo and pannakōkilīn), where the compound is much older; compare Old High German phankuohho (8th century), whence Middle High German phankuoche, German Pfannkuchen (“pancake”); further Saterland Frisian Ponkouke, Ponkuuke (“pancake”), West Frisian pankoek (“pancake”), Dutch pannenkoek (“pancake”), German Low German Pannkook (“pancake”). The juggling sense is by analogy with a pancake being tossed in a pan.
Etymology 2
German surname, Americanized and translated from Pfannkuch, Pfannkuche, also found in north/Low German as Pannkoke, Pankauke, as well as Dutch Pannekoek. All mean "pancake," and could be from a nickname for someone who likes them, or an occupational surname for someone who worked at an establishment that famously served them.