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

Example Sentences

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

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

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

It’s “a persistent pattern generally attached to nefarious tricks such as channel stuffing, aggressive revenue recognition or extended payment terms used as sales concessions,” Burry said in a recent Substack post.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026

The torn book bag in which he had enjoyed such comfortable naps was gone, but he found a fresh bag, gnawed a hole in the brown paper, and crawled into the soft, ready-chewed stuffing.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

Related Words

• dressing
• filling