dim sum

noun

ˈdim-ˈsəm 

plural dim sums also dim sum

: traditional Chinese food consisting of a variety of items (such as steamed or fried dumplings, pieces of cooked chicken, and rice balls) served in small portions

Examples of dim sum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In New York City’s Chinatown in 1931, Luli Lee daydreams about dim sum and worries about her parents, who are struggling to keep the family restaurant afloat during the Great Depression. —Caroline Carlson september 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025

An extensive dumpling and dim sum list offers plenty of shareables too. —Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

April 2026 brings the new 14-day Treasures of the East itinerary from Vietnam to Shanghai, a ride that includes stops to see the dramatic karst landscapes of Ninh Binh and the emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, as well as the chance to sample the famous dim sum of Guangzhou’s historic Shamian Island. —Ann Shields, AFAR Media, 26 Aug. 2025

These included breads, cereals, pasta, rice and noodles, vegetables and legumes, fruits; meats, fish and eggs, milk and other dairy products, drinks, snacks including dim sum, fats and oils, and soups. —Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Guangdong) dímsām, from dím dot, speck + sām heart

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dim sum

• become
• checksum
• humdrum
• income
• outcome
• succumb
• therefrom
• wherefrom
• abomasum
• bum
• chum
• come