souffle

¹ American  

[soo-fuhl] / ˈsu fəl /

noun

Pathology.

1. a murmuring or blowing sound heard on auscultation.

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soufflé ² American  

[soo-fley, soo-fley] / suˈfleɪ, ˈsu fleɪ /

noun

1. a light baked dish made fluffy with beaten egg whites combined with egg yolks, white sauce, and fish, cheese, or other ingredients.

2. a similar dish made with fruit juices, chocolate, vanilla, etc., and served as dessert.

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adjective

1. Also souffléed puffed up; made light, as by beating and cooking.

verb (used with object)

souffléed, souffléing

1. to make (food) puffed up and light, as by beating and cooking, adding stiffly beaten egg whites, etc.; make resemble a soufflé.

   to soufflé leftover mashed potatoes.

soufflé ¹ British  

/ ˈsuːfleɪ /

noun

1. a very light fluffy dish made with egg yolks and stiffly beaten egg whites combined with cheese, fish, etc

2. a similar sweet or savoury cold dish, set with gelatine

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adjective

1. made light and puffy, as by beating and cooking

souffle ² British  

/ ˈsuːfəl /

noun

1. med a blowing sound or murmur heard in auscultation

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Etymology

Origin of souffle¹

From French, dating back to 1875–80; soufflé

Origin of soufflé²

1805–15; < French, noun use of past participle of souffler to blow, puff < Latin sufflāre to breathe on, blow on

Example Sentences

My aunt made a dessert that was supposed to be an orange souffle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

Ultimately, celebrity chefs can teach us a lot more than just how to cook a souffle or chop an onion without crying.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

Teaching, like parenting or skiing or governing or making a souffle, is an activity you can learn about from books and classes and movies, but only really understand on the job.

From New York Times • Dec. 24, 2023

Her most popular items include wondrously fluffy souffle cheesecake, minimally sweet strawberry cake and a tender single-layer matcha gâteau.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2023

Grandma could usually be found scrubbing it sparkling clean or baking cornbread, simmering collard greens, or preparing her special gourmet salmon souffle.

From "Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High" by Melba Pattillo Beals