as in plump
having an excess of body fat
in America, Santa Claus is portrayed as a jolly but tubby older gentleman
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tubby
Disney will be marking the tubby little cubby’s 100th birthday this year with a variety of events, licensing collaboration, publishing releases and merchandise throughout the world.
—
K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
That Pete Hegseth is at the Pentagon instead of tubby Lloyd Austin.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
It is sold in a curious short and tubby bottle with an original label with an old man with wispy hair and a long beard.
—Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The structure is like a planetary system with its multiple characters and fascinating satellites: his best friend Ruprecht, a tubby genius; Lori, his unrequited love; Carl the psychopath; Howard the Coward; Father Green a.k.a.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Colin Farrell’s Penguin Is Different From The Comics The original Batman villains were mostly made up of gangsters, and the Penguin first appeared in the early 40’s as a tubby man in a tuxedo and monocle, wielding a variety of gadgets inside his iconic umbrella.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Heavy, ample, plump, tubby—these might as well be curse words.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
This gives it the slight grace of a drawer without sacrificing the functionality of a big tubby bin.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023
After a long day of tail wagging, tubby rubbing, and shoe chewing, your dog deserves a comfortable place to rest.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
K.j. Yossman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2026
That Pete Hegseth is at the Pentagon instead of tubby Lloyd Austin.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 26 Nov. 2025
It is sold in a curious short and tubby bottle with an original label with an old man with wispy hair and a long beard.
—Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
The structure is like a planetary system with its multiple characters and fascinating satellites: his best friend Ruprecht, a tubby genius; Lori, his unrequited love; Carl the psychopath; Howard the Coward; Father Green a.k.a.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
Colin Farrell’s Penguin Is Different From The Comics The original Batman villains were mostly made up of gangsters, and the Penguin first appeared in the early 40’s as a tubby man in a tuxedo and monocle, wielding a variety of gadgets inside his iconic umbrella.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Heavy, ample, plump, tubby—these might as well be curse words.
—TIME, 2 Feb. 2024
This gives it the slight grace of a drawer without sacrificing the functionality of a big tubby bin.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 17 Aug. 2023
After a long day of tail wagging, tubby rubbing, and shoe chewing, your dog deserves a comfortable place to rest.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tubby
Adjective
-
Look for firm, plump blueberries with smooth skin.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
6 June 2026
-
At Pan Asian restaurant Oriental, the lobster comes to the beachside tables looking like plump scoops of ice cream, and is best ordered alongside the black pepper wagyu beef.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Made with the unctuous 8-percent-fat milk of the water buffalo—animals that may have arrived in the area via the Normans by way of Sicily, or perhaps by the Goths coming from Central Asia—buffalo mozzarella has been produced at least since the twelfth century.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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The review found no evidence that each cycle of weight loss and regain strips progressively more muscle than fat.—
Allison Palmer,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
After gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country had tried and failed to make FIFA’s global jamboree on seven occasions, three times coming within one match (or round) of a place in the tournament.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
10 June 2026
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The train departs from the Santa Fe Depot and traces the Arkansas River on a 24-mile round-trip journey through granite cliffs, some of which stretch more than 1,000 feet above the tracks.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tubby.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tubby. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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