empanada

noun

em·​pa·​na·​da ˌem-pə-ˈnä-də How to pronounce empanada (audio)
: a turnover with a sweet or savory filling

Examples of empanada in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Enjoy appetizers of beef or chicken empanadas or cool off with a refreshing mango or soursop smoothie. Loán Lake, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025 Several others waited to get their hands on tacos, empanadas and other savory delicacies. Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 13 Sep. 2025 Chicken, beef, and cheese empanadas were uncovered in the cookline chest freezer. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025 Taco Bell’s first Decades menu went on sale for a few weeks last fall, bringing back five items from the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s as well as the empanada, which represented the year 2000. Fielding Buck, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for empanada

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, from Spanish, feminine of empanado, past participle of empanar to bread, from em- (from Latin in-) + pan bread, from Latin panis — more at food

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of empanada was in 1866

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Cite this Entry

“Empanada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empanada. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

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