Meaning & use
shortbread
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable or uncountable
A crisp, sweet cookie made with butter, sugar, and flour, originally from Scotland.
Grammar: Can be countable (a shortbread) or uncountable (some shortbread). Usually uncountable when talking about the food in general.
Patterns
- a piece of shortbread
- make shortbread
- eat shortbread
She baked a batch of shortbread for the holidays.
Would you like a piece of shortbread with your tea?
Shortbread is traditionally eaten at Christmas and New Year in Scotland.
Word forms
| plural | shortbreads |
|---|
Common combinations
- a piece of shortbread
- He took a piece of shortbread from the tin.
- homemade shortbread
- The homemade shortbread was rich and buttery.
- shortbread cookie
- She bought a box of shortbread cookies.
- shortbread tin
- The shortbread tin was decorated with a tartan pattern.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: shortbread or shortcake?
shortbread vs shortcake
Shortcake is a dessert made with a sweet cake or biscuit and fruit, while shortbread is a buttery cookie.
Practice
What is shortbread?
Choose one answer.
Shortbread is a sweet, buttery cookie, not a bread or cracker. The name can be confusing because it contains 'bread'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shortbread”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.