porky
1 Americannoun
plural
porkiesadjective
-
belonging to or characteristic of pork
a porky smell
-
informal fat; obese
noun
Usage
What does porky mean? Porky is used to describe food as having the flavor of pork (the meat from a pig), as in The bacon gives the dish a nice porky flavor. This sense of the word can be applied to dishes that have a prominent pork flavor or to pork itself when its flavor is strong, as in I think a lot of sausage is bland, but this is so flavorful—really nice and porky. The word porky can also be used as a way to call someone chubby. This may be intended to be funny, but it’s always insulting to compare someone to a pig. In the U. S., porky is used in some places as a slang term for porcupine. In the U. K., porky is used as a slang term meaning a lie, as in I think he’s telling a porky. Example: I like my ramen to be extra porky, so I doubled the amount of pork belly in it.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of porky1
First recorded in 1850–55; pork + -y 1
Origin of porky2
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05; porc(upine) + -y 2
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.
"It was hard and anybody in that position who says it wasn't, I think will be telling you porky pies."
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
But man, that creamy, porky richness goes down easier when cut with the sinus-clearing chili paste that’s blended in-house.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2024
Michael described himself as a "very awkward, slightly porky, very strange-looking bloke" who walked into his first day of school with a mop of curly hair and wearing "sodding great big window-frame glasses."
From Salon • Jul. 6, 2023
Inspired by classic aglio e olio but with a porky twist, this weeknight dinner involves very few ingredients and almost no effort.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2022
Uncle Vernon was large and neckless, with an enormous black mustache; Aunt Petunia was horse-faced and bony; Dudley was blond, pink, and porky.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
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.
