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
The production, which also stars Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum and Michelle Yeoh, features a huge film set complete with munchkin village and yellow brick road.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 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
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.
