munchkin
Americannoun
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a small person, especially one who is dwarfish or elfin in appearance.
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Informal. a child.
The munchkins enjoyed holding and feeding the animals in the petting zoo.
noun
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informal an undersized person or a child, esp an appealing one
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a breed of medium-sized cat with short legs
Etymology
Origin of munchkin
After the Munchkins, a dwarflike race portrayed in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) and other fantasy novels
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.
The munchkin breed—the corgi of cats—is proof that short-legged cats can exist.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2023
Nicole, a munchkin, and Mickey, the scarecrow, talked for hours while painting a backdrop of the Wicked Witch’s crows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2022
One day, Eastman’s young daughter, Heather, a bob-haired munchkin, whirls aimlessly about the studio.
From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2021
I am just so thankful that where we are we have fabulous outdoor space where we can keep the munchkin busy, ourselves exercised and make sure we can stop ourselves from going stir crazy!
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2020
Sitti stroked her face saying, “Ya Habibi, Habibti,” cackling like a giddy munchkin.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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.
