dollop
Americannoun
-
a lump or blob of some substance.
dollops of mud.
-
a small quantity.
Add a dollop of soda water to the mixture.
verb (used with object)
-
dollops,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dolloped,
past participle, past
-
dolloping
present participle
noun
-
a semisolid lump
-
a large serving, esp of food
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dollopsimple
-
dollopssimple
-
have dollopedperfect
-
has dollopedperfect
-
am dollopingprogressive
-
are dollopingprogressive
-
is dollopingprogressive
-
have been dollopingperfect progressive
-
has been dollopingperfect progressive
Past
-
dollopedsimple
-
had dollopedperfect
-
was dollopingprogressive
-
were dollopingprogressive
-
had been dollopingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dollop
1565–75; compare Icelandic dōlpur fat man, Norwegian (dial.) dolp lump
Explanation
A dollop is a small, indefinite amount of something. You might ask for a dollop of sour cream on your taco. English has many words for amounts of something that aren't exact. For example, a load is a lot of something, but a dollop is a little. If you're watching your weight, you may only want a dollop of dressing on your salad. Most people use a dollop of shampoo when washing their hair. You can't measure a dollop, but it should be a fairly small amount. If you use a whole bottle of ketchup, that's far more than a dollop.
Vocabulary lists containing dollop
Hamilton
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Hate U Give
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The BFG
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
My stomach was in knots as I pictured myself clad in a lemon chiffon dress looking like a dollop of meringue, doing the Viennese waltz — something resembling a Centrum Silver commercial.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Add a dollop or two of fig jam.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
And there is always a healthy dollop of nostalgia when reminiscing about kits - those hazy childhood memories relived through a golden filter.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
It was hectic, but the onetime Miss Walterboro had a smile and a dollop of charm for everyone she encountered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026
He put two roti on his plate and piled up a generous dollop of onion sambal from the clay pot.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
A seasonal salad and dollops of spiced yogurt round out plates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
Oatmeal thrives on dairy and non-dairy alike: almond or oat milk, a spoonful of mascarpone, dollops of ricotta or labneh, tangy flavored yogurt, a little goat cheese.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025
Other scientists praise the study’s innovative use of high-resolution imaging technology to turn dollops of dung into goldmines of information.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 27, 2024
The thing that I love is they put these like little dollops of cheese on their pizzas that’s almost like frosting, so you can’t go wrong with any of them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024
Its walls still stood, but its windows and roof were gone, and there was nothing inside but ashes and dollops of melted glass.
From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
I swirled a half-cup around the crust and dolloped it with fat shreds of fresh mozzarella and torn basil leaves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
They whipped whitefish, blueberries and lard into a traditional Alaska Native dessert, and dolloped servings onto a paper plate, setting it in the flames to feed her spirit.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
Going a step further, combining raspberry powder and bittersweet chocolate makes a complex-tasting, fuchsia-streaked meringue that’s an absolute knockout dolloped on a raspberry tart.
From New York Times ● Feb. 7, 2022
Beyond flavor, the most important element of any sauce is its ability to smother and cling to whatever it gets drizzled, dolloped, or poured on.
From Salon ● Jan. 6, 2022
He’s just dolloped there in his best robes, and everyone’s huddled over his breathless body, hoping he’ll give some sign of what they should do in case he dies.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
A simple lime glaze and whipped ricotta for dolloping make this recipe feel more special than your average snacking cake.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 23, 2023
May I suggest dolloping some onto a margherita to make it uber fancy, or spreading it thinly onto dough and topping it with shaved summer squash and mint?
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2022
Then a makeup artist began dolloping concealers onto the back of her latex glove.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 21, 2022
Drizzle the taquitos with Sriracha and sour cream and serve hot, passing guacamole for dolloping and dipping.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 17, 2018
I’m dolloping the cream in, and it floats, when a thought hits me: We got to leave a tip for this waiter.
From It’s like this, cat by Emily Neville
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
