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

Also, Bill Addison’s new favorite soup dumplings, Super Bowl chili and wings, cheese for lovers, and the supermarket treats that lured a 525-pound bear from an Altadena home’s crawlspace. —Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2025

Soy Cowboy: Too pretty to pass up Soy Cowboy, 888 Nolan Ryan Expressway, Arlington, is the flashy pan-Asian restaurant from the owners of B&B Butchers, with a superstar menu of sushi, soups, dumplings, stir-fry dishes and steaks. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2025

Jaji, co-owned by Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias of Parche, will walk the line between familiar and iconoclastic, with mantu-like wonton dumplings with confit duck and cocktails mixed with yogurt and Silk Road spices. —John Metcalfe, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2025

There's a Pie of the Month (and 20 others to choose from daily) and basics like chicken livers, chicken and dumplings, and pot roast. —Carolanne Griffith Roberts, Southern Living, 5 Jan. 2025

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