chubby

adjective

chub·​by ˈchə-bē 

chubbier; chubbiest

: somewhat fat

a chubby child

Growing up, I was always the chubbiest in the family …

—Anna Schuchman

This is the very real story of the little bucktoothed, chubby 9-year-old boy who invented the MC …

—Killer Mike, quoted in The Dallas Morning News

also : having a full, rounded form

a baby with chubby cheeks

Chubby, crackly egg rolls with chicken, beef, or vegetables are deep-fried to order …

—Mike Sula

chubbiness

ˈchə-bē-nəs 

noun

The faces in the mosaics have a roundness, the figures a chubbiness that one does not associate with Roman portraiture …

—Sarah Caudwell

Synonyms of chubby

• plump
• fat
• round

Examples of chubby in a Sentence

the chubby baby had slimmed down by the time she was a toddler

Recent Examples on the Web

Jude had a round and chubby face. — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026

Miffy has pointy ears, chubby cheeks and wears an orange dress. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 18 May 2026

Her legs weren't as shapely; her knees were chubby; her thighs too thick; her boobs not large enough. — Staff Author, InStyle, 18 June 2026

Lenny says he and his brother were bullied for being chubby but also for being poor. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 14 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

chub

First Known Use

1722, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chubby

• cubby
• grubby
• hubby
• scrubby
• shrubby
• stubby
• tubby

Kids Definition

chubby

adjective

chub·​by ˈchəb-ē 

chubbier; chubbiest

: plump entry 5

a chubby baby

chubbiness noun