dumpling

noun

dump·​ling ˈdəmp-liŋ 

plural dumplings

1

a

: a small mass of dough cooked by boiling or steaming

chicken soup with dumplings

b

: a casing of dough enclosing a typically savory filling (such as meat or seafood) and cooked usually by boiling, steaming, or pan-frying see gyoza, pot sticker, wonton

c

: a usually baked dessert of fruit wrapped in dough

apple dumplings

2

: something soft and rounded like a dumpling

especially : a plump person or animal often of short stature

"I wanted to do it [rowing] because it was something I had never heard of. I was a little dumpling as well. I wanted to lose weight."

—Spencer Turrin, quoted in The Daily Telegraph (England)

Examples of dumpling in a Sentence

We had vegetarian dumplings as an appetizer.

Recent Examples on the Web

These apple dumplings are made with refrigerated crescent roll dough, so this comforting dessert comes together in no time. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024

With just three tables indoors and two outdoors, there is no place more cozy or hospitable to indulge in manti, Turkey’s beloved dumplings. —Lela London, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Former actress Mrs Li (Miriam Yeung) has lost the attention of her husband, so hunts down Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) and her dumplings made from unborn fetuses to trigger physical rejuvenation. —Rory Doherty, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024

In the nineteen-seventies, the owner, Yang Bing-yi, pivoted to selling dumplings and noodles, and his single shop eventually grew into an empire. —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of lump

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

dumpling

noun

dump·​ling ˈdəm-pliŋ 

1

: a portion of dough cooked by boiling or steaming

2

: a dessert of fruit baked in biscuit dough