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

The same sort of silliness repeated a few years ago when companies started stuffing references to cryptocurrency into their corporate names.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

So he began typing up a summary of the top headlines and stuffing copies in people’s mailboxes.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

But for others, it has turned into an opportunity to flex their money-saving muscles — even to the point of stuffing socks and underwear in those holiday baskets.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 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

“Oh, that’s not, um, what I’m reading,” I say, stuffing the journal into Gram’s satchel and pulling out The World at the End of the Tunnel.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• dressing
• filling