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

The family-friendly spot features a weekly selection of 20 beers, ciders, and seltzers, plus a menu of creative pub grub ranging from buffalo chicken eggrolls to brisket dumplings served with beer cheese. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025

Gently drop the masa dumplings into the soup and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until they are cooked through and tender. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2025

Heck, there was a ribbon-cutting for the city’s first location of the Taiwanese dumpling juggernaut Din Tai Fung. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025

Sweet dumpling squash contains many antioxidants, including phenolic compounds and carotenoids like beta-carotene. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 21 Nov. 2025

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