dumpling

noun

dump·​ling ˈdəmp-liŋ 

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

Here the format flips to lunch, with a dim sum spread and the restaurant’s signature xiao long bao (soup dumplings) leading into a Beethoven-heavy program. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 9 Apr. 2026

The humor is broad and cozy, like a warm bowl of chicken and dumplings. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2026

In her film, Ng has a Chinese cook making dumplings refer to the infamous Basel banana. —Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026

Though noodles are the restaurant’s specialty and namesake, its menu also hosts dozens of dim sum options, including dumplings, buns, soups and pancakes. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of lump

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids 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