noun
muffin
MUHF-ihn
noun
1
A small, cake-like baked good, often eaten for breakfast, that can be sweet (blueberry, chocolate chip) or savoury (bran, corn).
"She grabbed a blueberry muffin on her way out."
"He baked a batch of banana muffins for the office."
2
(British) A flat, round bread roll, split and toasted, and served with butter — an "English muffin."
"He had a toasted muffin with his tea."
"Eggs Benedict is served on a muffin."
How to Use Muffin
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small baked bread-like snack — either the American cupcake-style version or the British flat, toasted bread roll.
UK vs US
In the US, a muffin is usually a sweet cupcake-shaped bake. In the UK, an "English muffin" is a flat toasted bread roll, distinct from American-style muffins.
Common pairings
blueberry muffin
toasted muffin
muffin tin
Word Forms
muffined past tense, MUFFINed past tense, muffins plural, muffins singular, MUFFINs singular
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She grabbed a blueberry _____ on her way out.
Etymology
Probably from a Low German word for a small pastry, moofin.