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)
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
Do yourself a favor and buy the trio of their sauces, which includes a garlic scallion umami oil that is absolute fire, plus dipping vinegar for your dumplings.
—Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
But the dumplings will be just as good without this dramatic presentation.
—Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
Enjoy making dumplings with this bamboo steamer basket in 2024 from Reishunger.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Most people still speak German and are more likely to tuck into bread dumplings than a bowl of pasta.
—Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Now visitors can pair sake flights from Virginia’s first sake brewery with noodles, dumplings and rice bowls.
—Shana Clarke, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Dim sum is a traditional Cantonese meal of dumplings and other bite-sized dishes.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
The kitchen deploys just enough truffle oil to evoke the earth in the dumplings, plus shards of baked parmesan for some crackle.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
The dumplings in question were made on Dec. 7, 2023, and are packaged in 6-ounce boxes with plastic trays containing six dumplings.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024
Krista Simmons, Sunset Magazine, 9 Apr. 2024
But the dumplings will be just as good without this dramatic presentation.
—Sylvan Mishima Brackett, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
Enjoy making dumplings with this bamboo steamer basket in 2024 from Reishunger.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Most people still speak German and are more likely to tuck into bread dumplings than a bowl of pasta.
—Gaia Pianigiani, New York Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Now visitors can pair sake flights from Virginia’s first sake brewery with noodles, dumplings and rice bowls.
—Shana Clarke, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Dim sum is a traditional Cantonese meal of dumplings and other bite-sized dishes.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 23 Mar. 2024
The kitchen deploys just enough truffle oil to evoke the earth in the dumplings, plus shards of baked parmesan for some crackle.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
The dumplings in question were made on Dec. 7, 2023, and are packaged in 6-ounce boxes with plastic trays containing six dumplings.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near dumpling
Cite this Entry
“Dumpling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dumpling. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dumpling
noun
dump·ling
ˈdəm-pliŋ 
1
: a portion of dough cooked by boiling or steaming
2
: a dessert of fruit baked in biscuit dough
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