stuffing

American  

[stuhf-ing] / ˈstʌf ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that stuffs.

2. a material or substance used to stuff something.

3. Cooking. seasoned breadcrumbs or other filling used to stuff a chicken, turkey, etc., before cooking.

4. Informal. internal parts; insides.

   to beat the stuffing out of an opponent.

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stuffing British  

/ ˈstʌfɪŋ /

noun

1. the material with which something is stuffed

2. a mixture of chopped and seasoned ingredients with which poultry, meat, etc, is stuffed before cooking

3. to upset or dishearten someone completely

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Other Word Forms

• understuffing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stuffing

First recorded in 1520–30; stuff + -ing ¹

Explanation

Stuffing is the soft material inside pillows, mattresses, or sofa cushions. Without stuffing, your comfy chair wouldn't be very comfy. Stuffing is meant either to make things more comfortable, or more delicious. The edible kind of stuffing is a savory filling that's stuffed inside something being cooked, like a turkey or a potato. Stuffing stems from the verb stuff, which meant "fill the belly with food and drink" in the early 1400s, and came to mean "fill the interior of a pastry or the cavity of a fowl or beast" later in the century.

Example Sentences

On the another hand, LeBron James is getting the stuffing beat out of him and no calls.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

Why is everyone suddenly stuffing their screens with dizzying amounts of data?

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

When I was a kid, packing for sleepaway camp, I’d load up a Kindle with books to avoid stuffing my duffels even more.

From Slate • Mar. 8, 2026

They have shown plenty of fight recently but that might have knocked the stuffing out of them a bit.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

She ran across the boat and snatched up the griffin, stuffing him down the inside of her sweater.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

• dressing
• filling