What does gâteau in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word gâteau in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use gâteau in French.

The word gâteau in French means cake, biscuit, doting, overgenerous, spoil, is a piece of cake!, who is always making cakes, who is always baking cakes, cracker, cracker, chocolate cake, chocolate gateau, cheesecake, gâteau Basque, gateau Basque, birthday cake, wedding cake, rice pudding, filled cake, marble cake, Swiss roll, biscuit, the icing on the cake, overindulgent mother, mother hen, soft touch with your kids, soft touch with your children, biscuit, cupcake, get your piece of the pie, want your slice of the cake. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word gâteau

cake

nom masculin (pâtisserie)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
On a acheté un gros gâteau pour l'anniversaire de ma mère. // Ma grand-mère adore faire des gâteaux.
ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. Black Forest gateau was a popular dessert in the 1980s.

biscuit

nom masculin (biscuit) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Tu veux des gâteaux avec ton thé ?
Would you like some biscuits with your tea?

doting, overgenerous

adjectif invariable (qui gâte trop)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
Il est un peu gâteau avec ses enfants.
He is a bit overgenerous with his kids.

spoil

adjectif invariable (trop indulgent)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Mon père est gâteau avec ma fille.
My father spoils my daughter.

is a piece of cake!

(familier (c'est facile) (informal, figurative)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")
Cette interro d'histoire, c'était du gâteau ! Je suis sûr d'avoir une bonne note.
That history test was a piece of cake! I'm sure to get a good grade.

who is always making cakes, who is always baking cakes

adjectif invariable (qui fait souvent des gâteaux)

(expression: Prepositional phrase, adverbial phrase, or other phrase or expression--for example, "behind the times," "on your own.")

cracker

nom masculin (amuse-gueule industriel salé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon frère n'avait pas cuisiné : il avait juste acheté des gâteaux apéritif et une pizza pour tout repas.

cracker

nom masculin (familier (amuse-gueule industriel salé)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Mon frère n'avait pas cuisiné : il avait juste acheté des gâteaux apéro et une pizza pour tout repas.

chocolate cake, chocolate gateau

nom masculin (dessert à base de chocolat)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

cheesecake

nom masculin (pâtisserie)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Au dessert, il y aura du gâteau au fromage.

gâteau Basque, gateau Basque

nom masculin (spécialité sucrée du Pays Basque) (food: French)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le gâteau basque est souvent accompagné de confiture de cerises noires.

birthday cake

nom masculin (pâtisserie de fête)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Les gâteaux d'anniversaire thématiques font fureur.

wedding cake

nom masculin (dessert pour un mariage)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

rice pudding

nom masculin (entremets, dessert) (dessert)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
En France, le gâteau de riz se fait avec du riz, du lait, du sucre, des œufs, de la vanille et du caramel.

filled cake

nom masculin (pâtisserie)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
She served up a cream-filled cake.

marble cake

nom masculin (gâteau de deux pâtes colorées) (food)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Nous avons mangé un gâteau marbré pour son anniversaire.

Swiss roll

nom masculin (pâtisserie) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

biscuit

nom masculin (biscuit) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Un bon goûter comprend un gâteau sec, un fruit et un yaourt.

the icing on the cake

nom féminin (figuré (bonus)

overindulgent mother

nom féminin (maman aux petits soins pour ses enfants)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

mother hen

nom féminin (maman faisant souvent des gâteaux) (informal, figurative)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

soft touch with your kids, soft touch with your children

nom masculin (père qui gâte trop ses enfants)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Je n'aurais jamais cru que Patrick aurait fait un papa gâteau.
I would never have thought Patrick would be such a soft touch with his kids.

biscuit

nom masculin (biscuit) (UK)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

cupcake

nom masculin (Canada (cupcake)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)

get your piece of the pie

(figuré, familier (partager une récompense) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

want your slice of the cake

locution verbale (figuré (réclamer son dû) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Les héritiers voulaient tous leur part du gâteau.

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So now that you know more about the meaning of gâteau in French, you can learn how to use them through selected examples and how to read them. And remember to learn the related words that we suggest. Our website is constantly updating with new words and new examples so you can look up the meanings of other words you don't know in French.

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