A biscuit is a small baked bread or cake. The exact meaning varies markedly in different parts of the world, sometimes leading to confusion. The origin of the word "biscuit" is from Latin via Middle French and means "twice cooked".

In British English, Australian English and New Zealand English, a biscuit is a hard baked product like a small cake which in North America may be called a "cookie" or "cracker"; it should be noted, however, that it has become increasingly more common within the UK and Australia for "cookie" to be used to differentiate between the softer, more chewy "cookie" and the harder, more brittle "biscuit".

In American English, a "biscuit" is a small form of bread made with baking powder or baking soda as a leavening agent rather than yeast. (Biscuits, soda breads, and corn bread, among others, are sometimes referred to collectively as "quick breads" to indicate that they do not need time to rise before baking.)

Biscuits are extremely similar to scones; in fact, many recipes are identical. In the United States, there is a growing tendancy to refer to sweet variations as "scone" and to the savoury as a "biscuit" , though there are exceptions for both (such as the cheese scone). A sweet biscuit served with a topping of fruit and juice is called shortcake. In Canada, both sweet and savoury are referred to as "biscuits", "baking powder biscuits" or "tea biscuits".