sourdough
Americannoun
-
fermented dough retained from one baking and used as leaven, rather than fresh yeast, to start the next.
-
bread leavened with this fermented dough.
Pick up a loaf of sourdough and a baguette, too.
-
a prospector or pioneer, especially in Alaska or Canada.
-
any longtime resident, especially in Alaska or Canada.
adjective
adjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of sourdough
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English: literally, “leaven, leavened bread” ; see origin at sour, dough
Explanation
Sourdough is bread that's made with a fermented mixture of flour and water instead of yeast. If you have some sourdough starter, you can easily bake your own sourdough loaf. Before it came to mean "fermented dough" in the 19th century, sourdough simply meant "leavened bread." Sourdough tastes a tiny bit sour, thanks to the fermentation that helps the bread rise. The practice of saving a piece of dough from a previous loaf and using it to bake another one became especially popular during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon territories. It was so common, in fact, that sourdough was a well-known nickname for experienced prospectors.
Vocabulary lists containing sourdough
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.
They’re stocked with luxe plush toys, Hermès bags, fresh vegetables and even sourdough starter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Speaking of which, there also will be new school meal items: a vegan blueberry muffin, Poly High’s Butter Chicken, a cheesesteak on sourdough and chicken posole made from scratch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Call it nonna-stalgia—a culinary offshoot of the “grandmacore” aesthetic that has Gen Z picking up knitting needles, gardening gloves and sourdough starter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
A sturdy bread: toasted sourdough, dark brown sandwich loaves, cornbread, seeded rye.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The famous Schaffhauser grilled cheese was made with sourdough bread, not regular white.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
