dumpling

noun

dump·​ling ˈdəmp-liŋ How to pronounce dumpling (audio)
plural dumplings
1
a
: a small mass of dough cooked by boiling or steaming
chicken soup with dumplings
b
: a casing of dough enclosing a typically savory filling (such as meat or seafood) and cooked usually by boiling, steaming, or pan-frying see gyoza, pot sticker, wonton
c
: a usually baked dessert of fruit wrapped in dough
apple dumplings
2
: something soft and rounded like a dumpling
especially : a plump person or animal often of short stature
"I wanted to do it [rowing] because it was something I had never heard of. I was a little dumpling as well. I wanted to lose weight." Spencer Turrin, quoted in The Daily Telegraph (England)

Examples of dumpling in a Sentence

We had vegetarian dumplings as an appetizer.
Recent Examples on the Web One morning, the narrator wakes up late to see that a strangely dazed Yeong-hye has disposed of all their meat—pork belly, shabu-shabu beef, dumplings, eel. Ed Park, The Atlantic, 12 Oct. 2024 There is a recipe that is not in the book: Dolly’s chicken and dumplings. Jason Sheeler, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024 The pork dumplings, the most traditional and seemingly the most popular, are served as a brace of ten in a steamer basket. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2024 Get The Recipe 07 of 15 Old-Fashioned Chicken And Dumplings Though there are many different variations of chicken and dumplings, this old-fashioned recipe creates the ideal bowlful. Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 8 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dumpling 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dumpling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of lump

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of dumpling was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near dumpling

Cite this Entry

“Dumpling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpling. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dumpling

noun
dump·​ling ˈdəm-pliŋ How to pronounce dumpling (audio)
1
: a portion of dough cooked by boiling or steaming
2
: a dessert of fruit baked in biscuit dough

More from Merriam-Webster on dumpling

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