dumpling
Americannoun
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a rounded mass of steamed and seasoned dough, often served in soup or with stewed meat.
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a dessert consisting of a wrapping of dough enclosing sliced apples or other fruit, boiled or baked.
-
a short or stout person.
noun
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a small ball of dough cooked and served with stew
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a pudding consisting of a round pastry case filled with fruit
apple dumpling
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informal a short plump person
Etymology
Origin of dumpling
1590–1600; dump (of uncertain origin) + -ling 1
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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.
But that has largely been the result of viewers dumpling cable, not actual growth in the market, data show.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
The finished dumpling — which can be enjoyed as a quick snack or meal — is deliciously pillowy and spicy with a hint of zing.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2026
Din Tai Fung is a family business that sold its first dumpling in Taipei in 1972 and now numbers more than 165 locations worldwide.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
The question of whether "ducana" – a sweet potato and coconut dumpling – should or should not contain raisins has divided local residents for decades.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025
He was sure there had only been one dumpling in the morning.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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.
