tamale

noun

ta·​ma·​le tə-ˈmä-lē 

: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped usually in corn husks, and steamed

Examples of tamale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike chubby tamales wrapped in corn husks, the Oaxacan version is flatter, with a more balanced mix of masa and filling, and steamed in a banana leaf that imparts a grassy aroma. —Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 20 Dec. 2025

Amapola Market, located in Downey, has decades of experience being the go-to spot for tamale ingredients, including its iconic masa. —Alys Martinez, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025

Particularly popular around Christmas and other holidays or reasons to celebrate, tamales are made with masa — a dough made from corn flour — steamed in a corn husk and seasoned with meat, cheese or other fillings. —Evan Mealins, Nashville Tennessean, 19 Dec. 2025

Eleven bags of tamales had sat on the counter for six hours, warmed up to more than 75 degrees and had to be thrown out. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish tamales, plural of tamal tamale, from Nahuatl tamalli steamed cornmeal dough

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tamale

• colley
• collie
• dolly
• folly
• golly
• holly
• jolley
• jolly
• lolly
• mollie
• molly
• ollie

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Kids Definition

tamale

noun

ta·​ma·​le tə-ˈmäl-ē 

: cornmeal dough rolled with ground meat or beans seasoned usually with chili, wrapped in corn husks, and steamed

Geographical Definition

Tamale

geographical name

Ta·​ma·​le tä-ˈmä-lā 

town in northern Ghana population 371,351