dumpling

American  

[duhmp-ling] / ˈdʌmp lɪŋ /

noun

1. a rounded mass of steamed and seasoned dough, often served in soup or with stewed meat.

2. a dessert consisting of a wrapping of dough enclosing sliced apples or other fruit, boiled or baked.

3. a short or stout person.

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dumpling British  

/ ˈdʌmplɪŋ /

noun

1. a small ball of dough cooked and served with stew

2. a pudding consisting of a round pastry case filled with fruit

   apple dumpling

3. informal a short plump person

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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:

• gyoza vs. dumpling

Example Sentences

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

Cars work as both charging stations and freezers, with frozen dumplings and other products stored in their trunks.

From The Wall Street Journal

In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, for example, Slavic and Austro-Hungarian influences show up in smoked meats, dumplings, and fermented flavors.

From Salon

After a few runs, settle in for a hearty lunch of schnitzel and spinach dumplings cooked in brown butter sauce at Filzalm, a cozy mountain hut perched 4,265 feet above sea level.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Are the boots uncomfortable in the heat, Miss Penelope?” one of them was asking me, her forehead crinkled up like a dumpling as she tried to appear sympathetic.

From Literature

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