Showing results for "stuffing"

• present participle of stuff.

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

See Examples For:

stuffing

She describes how Dailey, ever hopeful of being exonerated, stayed fit with the help of an improvised dumbbell made by stuffing a pillowcase with his copious legal paperwork.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Next to that, C.K.’s bit where he says he’s so old that his mother is dead is as soft as taxidermy stuffing.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

“Businesses, particularly those that collect and maintain sensitive personal and genetic data, can and should know to guard against” credential stuffing, the attorney general’s release said.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

The hack led to others sharing their top tips to save money when travelling, from stuffing clothes into a neck cushion to wearing cargo trousers with large pockets for extra storage.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, all that sort of stuff.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Related Words

• dressing
• filling