hush puppy

noun

chiefly Southern US and south Midland US
: cornmeal dough shaped into small balls and fried in deep fat
usually used in plural

Examples of hush puppy 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.
While frying us a wire spider utensil to easily remove hush puppies from oil. Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 5 Mar. 2026 Crab and shrimp hush puppy with harissa aioli, napa, and peach salad. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026 The top seller is the box for two with four North Atlantic cod fillets, fries and two hush puppies. Gege Reed, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Feb. 2026 Pipkin’s wife Takwana Pipkin, who also goes by TK, makes the potato salad and the hush puppies on the food trucks. Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hush puppy

Word History

Etymology

from its occasional use as food for dogs

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hush puppy was in 1879

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Cite this Entry

“Hush puppy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hush%20puppy. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

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