sourdough
Americannoun
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fermented dough retained from one baking and used as leaven, rather than fresh yeast, to start the next.
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bread leavened with this fermented dough.
Pick up a loaf of sourdough and a baguette, too.
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a prospector or pioneer, especially in Alaska or Canada.
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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.
Think whipped ricotta and blue cheese on crisp oil-toasted sourdough, topped with muddled olives, garlic, lemon and orange zest, fresh basil, olive brine, and a little red pepper flake.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2026
So they tried to make a sourdough loaf.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Stir in an Italian dressing packet and a generous slick of olive oil, then let the mixture sit for a few minutes while you toast or grill some good sourdough.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
My favorite was her naturally leavened pizza dough, which requires a sourdough starter and a bit of scheduling.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
“It’s like a spongy sourdough bread,” Mom said.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
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.
