pudding
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the sweet course at the end of a meal.
the final sweet course of a meal; used as a synonym for dessert in British English.
Simple“The children finished their vegetables because they wanted to have pudding.”
In context“In many British households, the term 'pudding' is used generically for any sweet dish served after the main course, regardless of its ingredients.”
UsageOften used uncountably when referring to the course itself.
- 02 B1 Intermediate
a soft, creamy sweet food often made with milk and sugar.
a sweet, soft food with a consistency similar to custard, typically thickened with cornstarch or flour.
Simple“He ate a small bowl of chocolate pudding for his afternoon snack.”
In context“The recipe calls for constant stirring to ensure the vanilla pudding achieves a smooth, silk-like texture without any lumps.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
a dish made by steaming or boiling ingredients in a cloth or basin.
a cooked dish, either sweet or savoury, prepared by steaming or boiling a mixture of ingredients, often containing suet or batter.
Simple“We always have a traditional steamed plum pudding on Christmas Day.”
In context“The steak and kidney pudding was steamed for several hours until the suet pastry became tender and the filling rich and succulent.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
a type of sausage often made with blood or meat and grains.
a savoury sausage-like food, such as black pudding or white pudding, typically made from blood, fat, and cereal.
Simple“A traditional full English breakfast usually includes a slice of black pudding.”
In context“The chef served the seared scallops with a crumble of black pudding to provide a salty, earthy contrast to the delicate seafood.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
a sweet name you call someone you love.
a colloquial term of endearment used for a partner or child.
Simple“Don't worry about the mess, pudding, we can clean it up later.”
In context“While some find it overly sentimental, she frequently addressed her grandchildren as 'pudding' when they came to visit.”
Synonyms - 06 C1 Advanced
a slightly rude word for someone who is fat.
a derogatory or humorous slang term for an overweight or obese person.
Simple“He used to be a bit of a pudding when he was a teenager, but he's very fit now.”
In context“The comedian made several self-deprecating jokes about being a 'bit of a pudding' before he started his strict new exercise regime.”
Synonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.