dumpling
Americannoun
-
a rounded mass of steamed and seasoned dough, often served in soup or with stewed meat.
-
a dessert consisting of a wrapping of dough enclosing sliced apples or other fruit, boiled or baked.
-
a short or stout person.
noun
-
a small ball of dough cooked and served with stew
-
a pudding consisting of a round pastry case filled with fruit
apple dumpling
-
informal a short plump person
Etymology
Origin of dumpling
1590–1600; dump (of uncertain origin) + -ling 1
Compare meaning
How does dumpling compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Gather your mac and cheese, your spanakopita triangles, your dumplings, your roasted vegetables in tidy bags.
From Salon
They shared fried pork dumplings in a sweet black sauce, and Glory even tried to teach him how to use chopsticks.
From Literature
![]()
Hearty elements give the soup its backbone—potatoes, rice, dumplings, lentils, beans, even torn bread—ingredients that make a bowl feel like a meal.
From Salon
No one mentioned Wonders during dinner, though Pa did marvel when I put away my third helping of dumplings.
From Literature
![]()
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
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.