butterball

noun

but·​ter·​ball ˈbə-tər-ˌbȯl How to pronounce butterball (audio)
1
2
: a chubby person

Examples of butterball in a Sentence

I was a little butterball when I was a child.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Turkey dinners include a 10 to 12-pound butterball turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, sage dressing, turkey gravy, green bean casserole, spinach artichoke dip and cranberry orange relish. Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 19 Dec. 2025 The American failure to neutralize this preachy butterball suggested serious limits to the occupying force’s control of the situation. Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 Yukon Golds, butterball, new potatoes, and fingerlings are all terrific options. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2025 Mine was about four pounds and round as a butterball. Jim Gronaw, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 14 Nov. 2021 Lohuis rated each sheep's body condition on a five-point scale where zero was dead and five was as fat as a butterball. Rick Sinnott, Alaska Dispatch News, 24 June 2017 Jackson shopped him, hoping to get Blake Griffin or Kevin Love, only to learn that no one would give up a star for a soon-to-turn-33-year-old butterball with a modest resume (three playoff series wins in 13 seaons) and a $24.6 million salary. Mark Heisler, Orange County Register, 10 Feb. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of butterball was in 1813

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Cite this Entry

“Butterball.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/butterball. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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