hardtack

noun

hard·​tack ˈhärd-ˌtak 

plural hardtack or hardtacks

1

: a saltless hard biscuit, bread, or cracker

2

: any of several mountain mahoganies (especially Cercocarpus betuloides)

Examples of hardtack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dinner will be a choice of hardtack or wet hardtack. —Al Mullen, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022

Alaskans have been eating some form of hardtack since the area’s colonization in the late 19th century. —Teresa Nowakowski, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Mar. 2023

Other resourceful military cookery saw troops toss hardtack into soups. —Tribune News Service, cleveland, 14 Feb. 2022

Getting your hands on packets of hardtack is just a click away. —Tribune News Service, cleveland, 14 Feb. 2022

Typically made from salt, flour and water, Hard Bread—also known as hardtack, teeth dullers or jawbreakers—was often soaked in water before being served. —Leo Deluca, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 May 2021

Biscuits went by unappetizing names such as hardtack, rusks and ship’s biscuits, their durability their main asset. —Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2020

Avocado hardtack rations meager and chicory covfefe drunk cold to avoid microwave surveillance. —Don Sweeney, sacbee, 3 July 2018

Known as hardtack, such biscuits were prized for their long shelf lives, making them a vital source of sustenance for sailors far from shore. —The Economist, 3 Feb. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

hardtack

noun

hard·​tack -ˌtak 

: a hard biscuit or bread made of flour and water without salt