What does "pudding" mean?
Any of various dishes, sweet or savoury, prepared by boiling or steaming, or from batter.
Pudding
/ˈpʊd.ɪŋ/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various dishes, sweet or savoury, prepared by boiling or steaming, or from batter.
- Grammar: pudding is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: albumen, batter, blancmange, blubber.
- Useful contrasts: dessert, savory dish.
- Usage evidence: Roast beef is usually accompanied by Yorkshire pudding.
How to use "pudding"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "pudding" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "pudding" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "pudding" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "pudding" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "pudding" is acting as noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "albumen" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "pudding", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various dishes, sweet or savoury, prepared by boiling or steaming, or from batter. countable, uncountable
"The dishes in this chapter represent a range of multiethnic savory custards and steamed puddings, including a few surprises like a chèvre popover pudding and a bread pudding with lettuce and cheese."
- 2 any of various soft sweet desserts thickened usually with flour and baked or boiled or steamed wordnet
- 3 A type of cake or dessert cooked usually by boiling or steaming. countable, uncountable
"Steamed puddings, a favourite for winter, are both easy to make and delicious. Served with one of the sweet sauces (recipes 497 to 506) they make a filling and satisfying end to a meal."
- 4 (British) the dessert course of a meal (‘pud’ is used informally) wordnet
- 5 A type of dessert that has a texture similar to custard or mousse but using some kind of starch as the thickening agent. countable, uncountable
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 any of various soft thick unsweetened baked dishes wordnet
- 7 Dessert; the dessert course of a meal. Australia, New-Zealand, UK, countable, uncountable
"We have apple pie for pudding today."
- 8 A sausage made primarily from blood. countable, uncountable
- 9 An overweight person. countable, slang, uncountable
- 10 A term of endearment. countable, endearing, uncountable
""How is my little pudding?" Jehan nuzzles up to me and rests his little head on my shoulder, still chuckling […]"
- 11 Entrails. countable, slang, uncountable
"I pray God he may recover, though there is little hopes; as there is of Coll Halley, being shott throw the body; and of Capt. Urquhart of Burdyeyeards, being wounded in the belly, after being made prisoner, soe that his puddings hang out."
- 12 Any food or victuals. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Eat your pudding, slave, and hold your tongue."
- 13 A piece of good fortune. archaic, countable, slang, uncountable
Antonyms
dessertsavory dish
Example
"Roast beef is usually accompanied by Yorkshire pudding."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "pudding"?
Common synonyms include: albumen, batter, blancmange, blubber, bonnyclabber, breeze.
How do you use "pudding" in a sentence?
Roast beef is usually accompanied by Yorkshire pudding.
How do you pronounce "pudding"?
Pronounced /ˈpʊd.ɪŋ/.
Etymology
From circa 1305, Middle English podynge (“kind of sausage; meat-filled animal stomach”), puddynge, from Old French boudin (“blood sausage, black pudding”), from Latin botellus (“sausage, small intestine”). Doublet of boudin. * An alternative etymology assumes origin from Proto-Germanic *put-, *pud- (“to swell”) (compare dialectal English pod (“belly”), Old English puduc (“wen, sore”), Low German puddig (“swollen”), Westphalian Puddek (“lump, pudding”), Puddewurst (“black pudding”). More at pout.