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.
As flames engulfed his home, Frederick Shaw grabbed Munchkin, one of his five cats, and darted through a cloud of thick smoke gasping for air.
From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2023
Take for example crème brûlée, which received the Starbucks treatment with its Caramel Brulée Latte, or pumpkin-flavored donuts, which alternatively received the Dunkin treatment with its first-ever Pumpkin Munchkin Creamer.
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2022
The Baltimore County resident is married and has three children in addition to her 2-year-old ragdoll cat, Munchkin.
From Washington Times • Oct. 15, 2022
Clint’s stand-in on “Gentle Ben” was a former Munchkin.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 12, 2021
My lights disturbed them, and they dropped off the ceiling and flitted past my head, giving off sounds that resembled Munchkin laughter.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
