cornflakes

American

[kawrn-fleyks] / ˈkɔrnˌfleɪks /

Or corn flakes

noun

(used with a plural verb)

a packaged breakfast cereal in the form of small toasted flakes made from corn, for serving cold with milk, sugar, etc.

cornflakes British

/ ˈkɔːnˌfleɪks /

plural noun

a breakfast cereal made from toasted maize, eaten with milk, sugar, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cornflakes

1905–10, corn ¹ + flakes, plural of flake ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Eleven U.S. innovations, such as cornflakes, the implantable pacemaker and the microwave, were born from accidental discoveries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

"Investors will be sobbing into their cornflakes on the news," he said.

From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025

The popularity of the hermit crab as a pet soared in the 1970s, when one company branded them “Crazy Crabs” and told buyers they would eat anything: pizza, cookies, cornflakes!

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

When I mentioned it recently to my mother, she said, “Oh, well. Time for a break then. Otherwise it’s like eating the same bowl of cornflakes every day for 19 years.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2025

“As long as I can have my cornflakes, I’ll take the milk straight from the cow. Just get here sooner and stick the bottle in the freezer.”

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023