noun

waffle

WOF-uhl

noun

A crisp pastry with a grid pattern, usually eaten hot with syrup or toppings.

"We had waffles with maple syrup for breakfast."

verb

To talk or write in a vague, long-winded way without getting to the point.

"The politician waffled on for ten minutes without answering the question."

"Stop waffling and just tell me what you decided."

To be indecisive; to keep changing your mind.

"He waffled between the two job offers for weeks."

How to Use Waffle

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the breakfast food with a grid pattern, or talking/deciding in a vague, drawn-out way.

When to use it

The "ramble" and "be indecisive" senses are informal, mostly British usage.

Easily confused with

wafer →

Common pairings

waffle on waffle about Belgian waffle

Word Forms

waffled past tense, waffled past tense, waffled past tense, waffles plural, waffles plural, waffles singular, waffles singular, waffles singular

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Can you complete this real example?

We had _____ with maple syrup for breakfast.

Etymology

The food sense comes from Dutch "wafel", related to "weave" because of its honeycomb grid. The "talk vaguely" sense grew separately in English, describing rambling, unfocused speech.

Rhymes for waffle

raffle

See all rhymes for waffle →