Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

stuffing

noun
Save Word
stuff·​ing | \ ˈstə-fiŋ How to pronounce stuffing (audio) \

Definition of stuffing

: material used to stuff or fill: such as
a : a soft material (such as cotton or polyester) used to fill upholstered furniture, cushions, bedding, etc.
b : a seasoned mixture (as of bread crumbs, vegetables, and butter) that is typically placed inside the cavity of a turkey, pepper, etc. and cooked
Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about stuffing

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of stuffing in a Sentence

Would you like more stuffing? never heard of using goose down as stuffing for comforters until she moved to a cold climate
Recent Examples on the Web Placeres said all three restaurants will be making a total of 100 complete meals - turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce (with a Spanish twist) - to local families. — Steve Smith, courant.com, "MofonGo opens in Windsor," 18 Sep. 2020 Add another layer of lettuce, the remaining turkey, cranberry sauce, and top with the rest of the stuffing and the final slice of bread. — cleveland, "‘Friends: The Official Cookbook’ is there for you with the Moist Maker, 'secret’ chocolate chip cookies and Oh. My. Gawd. pancakes," 15 Sep. 2020 Indulge in seasonal comfort foods like slow-roasted turkey and stuffing at the American Holiday Table, or opt for cheese fondue at the Bavaria Holiday Kitchen. — Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, "Disney World Will Still Be Magical This Christmas — but 2 Major Events Are Canceled," 9 Sep. 2020 Ahh, Thanksgiving Day—arguably the best holiday of the year, dedicated to spending time with family, eating your weight in the best roast turkey recipes and Grandma's famous stuffing recipes and perfecting your Thanksgiving table setting. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "32 Best Thanksgiving Bible Verses to Enjoy After (or During!) Your Turkey Dinner," 19 July 2020 November is like eating four sofa cushions made of congealed stuffing. — Star Tribune, "Lileks: When does summer really end?," 28 Aug. 2020 Any grinder should have at least two plates for coarse and fine textures, along with a sausage-stuffing plate. — The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Things to Consider Before Buying a Meat Grinder," 21 Aug. 2020 Dinner includes turkey breast with cornbread stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy. — Shanon Maglente, Good Housekeeping, "13 Places to Buy Fully Cooked Thanksgiving Dinner, Sides and Dessert," 20 Aug. 2020 Instagrammer @puppreviews was brave enough to try the pack and enjoyed most of the flavors — especially sweet potato pie — except for turkey and stuffing. — Mary Honkus, PEOPLE.com, "Turkey Dinner-Flavored Candy Corn Is Now Available at Walgreens (Yes, Really)," 11 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stuffing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of stuffing

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about stuffing

Time Traveler for stuffing

Time Traveler

The first known use of stuffing was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Statistics for stuffing

Last Updated

22 Sep 2020

Cite this Entry

“Stuffing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stuffing. Accessed 29 Sep. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for stuffing

stuffing

noun
How to pronounce stuffing (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of stuffing

: soft material that is used to fill a pillow, cushion, etc.
: a seasoned mixture of food that is put inside another food and cooked

See the full definition for stuffing in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stuffing

noun
stuff·​ing | \ ˈstə-fiŋ How to pronounce stuffing (audio) \

Kids Definition of stuffing

1 : a mixture (as of bread crumbs and seasonings) used to stuff a food (as meat or a vegetable)
2 : material used in filling up something The stuffing is coming out of our couch.

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on stuffing

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stuffing

Nglish: Translation of stuffing for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of stuffing for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stuffing

Comments on stuffing

What made you want to look up stuffing? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

gauntlet

Listen to the pronunciation of gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized drawing of woman pole vaulting across gap to get trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Add Diction

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games