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

All three choices are worthy, but know the cucumbers pair nicely with the spice of the dumplings and the slight heat of the toast. —Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025

Koreatown in Los Angeles has one of the most vibrant restaurant scenes in the city, from 24-hour Korean barbecue spots to mom-and-pop shops specializing in everything from steamy dumplings to giant bowls of icy cold noodle soups. —Khushbu Shah, Bon Appetit Magazine, 29 July 2025

As Gold well understood, the fact that L.A.’s Korean dumpling shops, Armenian grocery stores, Thai lunch counters, and Salvadoran pupuserías are open to curious outsiders is one of the great privileges of living here. —Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 28 July 2025

Restaurants include Outback Steakhouse, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, North Italia, Frida, and Din Tai Fung, a famous Taiwanese soup dumpling chain. —Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 21 July 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