pudding

American  

[pood-ing] / ˈpʊd ɪŋ /

noun

1. a thick, soft dessert, typically containing flour or some other thickener, milk, eggs, a flavoring, and sweetener.

   tapioca pudding.

2. a similar dish unsweetened and served with or as a main dish.

   corn pudding.

3. British. the dessert course of a meal.

4. Nautical. a pad or fender for preventing scraping or chafing or for lessening shock between vessels or other objects.

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pudding British  

/ ˈpʊdɪŋ /

noun

1. a sweetened usually cooked dessert made in many forms and of various ingredients, such as flour, milk, and eggs, with fruit, etc

2. a savoury dish, usually soft and consisting partially of pastry or batter

   steak-and-kidney pudding

3. the dessert course in a meal

4. a sausage-like mass of seasoned minced meat, oatmeal, etc, stuffed into a prepared skin or bag and boiled

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pudding Idioms  

1. see proof of the pudding.

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Other Word Forms

• puddinglike adjective
• puddingy adjective

Etymology

Origin of pudding

1275–1325; Middle English poding kind of sausage; compare Old English puduc wen, sore (perhaps originally swelling), Low German puddewurst black pudding

Example Sentences

The maker of Slim Jim snacks and Snack Pack pudding cups on Wednesday posted a profit of $199.8 million, or 42 cents a share, for its quarter ended Feb. 22.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

I loved the Power Bowl chia-seed pudding with matcha powder and coconut flakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

"And the proof will only be in the pudding."

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Menu items range from $1.19 for the soft serve to $4.99 for its “super-triple” milk tea with tapioca pearls, pudding and coconut jelly toppings.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2026

Last night George had eaten two plates of roast beef, veal and ham pie, carrots sweet as candy, and a mysterious dessert called meringue pudding.

From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis