tubby
Americanadjective
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short and fat.
a tubby child.
-
having a dull, thumping sound; lacking resonance.
adjective
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plump
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shaped like a tub
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rare having little resonance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of tubby
Explanation
To be tubby is to be round and plump, and maybe a bit on the short side. Many cartoon characters, including Porky Pig, Garfield, and Homer Simpson, are a little tubby. The informal noun tubby is usually used to describe a person, and as a result it's almost always offensive — it's just generally bad form to comment on the shape of someone's body! You might, however, describe your plump little kitten as tubby or mold a tubby figure out of clay. Tubby, thought to come from "shaped like a tub," has been in use since the 1890s.
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.
Of all the things to say about Gaetz … tubby?
From Slate • Apr. 18, 2024
Throughout their journey, they’re beset by weird creatures familiar to “D&D” players: a tubby fire-breathing dragon and a beast called an owlbear.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 28, 2023
Then they invite the public to vote online for their favorite tubby bear.
From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2022
How could Disney allow the pants-adverse tubby little cubby to be portrayed in such a way?
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 31, 2022
The tubby, loose figure of his superior officer stopped, turned and came trotting back down slowly.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
