caked

IPA/keɪkt/
KK[kˈekt]IPA/keɪkt/

caked — adjective

  • cakedpositive
  • cakedercomparative
  • cakedestsuperlative

1. covered with something that has dried on the surface until it forms a thick hard

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

covered with something that has dried on the surface until it forms a thick hard layer.

Example

After the trail race, Eli's shoes were caked with red mountain mud.

pattern: be caked with [substance]

The oven door was caked with grease near the handle.

Common collocations
  • caked in mud
  • caked with grease
  • caked onto the pan
  • caked makeup
Synonyms
  • coated

    broader; does not always imply the layer has dried hard

  • crusted

    close in meaning, often stressing a firm rough surface

  • encrusted

    stronger and more formal, often suggesting a thicker hardened layer

Antonyms
  • clean

    without any dirt or dried layer on the surface

Grammar Patterns

be caked in [substance]

be caked with [substance]

be caked onto [surface]

Usage Note

Most often used after be, get, or stay, with the substance introduced by in or with. It often describes mud, grease, food, dust, or makeup after it has dried and stuck fast.

Common Mistakes

The boots were caked by mud.
The boots were caked in mud.
With the adjective, the substance normally follows 'in' or 'with', not 'by'.

caked — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a surface that is no longer clean, but they point to different kinds of layers. Coated is the broad everyday choice for something with a layer on top, whether it stays soft or not. Caked is narrower: it usually suggests mud, food, grease, or makeup that has dried and stuck hard. Crusted also points to a hard layer, but it often sounds rougher and more broken on the surface. Encrusted is the strongest and most formal; it suggests a thick or firmly attached layer, often in careful description. If a learner wants to describe boots after a muddy walk or rice stuck to a pan, caked is usually the clearest choice.

caked ↗coated ↗crustedencrusted ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be caked in mud
  • be caked with grease
  • caked onto the bottom

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

Caked is the past-form and adjective use of the verb cake. Cake first entered English from Old Norse kaka, originally referring to a small flat baked food. English later extended the idea to anything that could form a solid mass or layer, which led to the modern sense of mud, food, dust, or grease drying into a hard crust on a surface.

First known use

13th century

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb