wonton

noun

won·​ton ˈwän-ˌtän 

plural wontons

: a small dumpling filled typically with meat, seafood, or vegetables and usually served boiled in soup or fried

Whenever you're making wontons, keep in mind that the filling should be well seasoned, but not to the point that the wontons are overly salted when tossed in the sauce or added to a bowl of soup.

—Bill Leung et al.

… press the two sides of the wonton together tightly to enclose the filling and avoid any air pockets …

—Hetty Lui McKinnon

compare gyoza, pot sticker

Examples of wonton in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Let the wontons cool just a bit before serving them with extra sweet chili sauce. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Mar. 2025

Everything from the signature xiao long bao to the top-tier hot-and-sour soup to the assortment of fried rice, noodles and dumplings like spicy wontons is a crowd-pleaser. —Andy Wang, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025

Its izakaya-esque dining style brings wallet-friendly dishes, like a heaping okonomiyaki or the wagyu beef wontons, to the bartop. —Kayleigh Ruller, Charlotte Observer, 25 Feb. 2025

The Hong Kong–style diner—which serves classics such as scallion pancakes and egg rolls, as well as more experimental dishes, like caviar canapé and macaroni soup with Spam wontons—was a success. —airmail.news, 17 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Guangdong) wàhn-tān

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for wonton

• ponton
• wanton
• intermontane