Phrase guide

dim sum

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈdɪmˈsʌm/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɪm.sʌm/
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /dɪmˈsʌm/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈdɪm.sʊm/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɪmˈsʊm/
  • General-American: /ˈdɪmˈsʊm/
  • Ontario: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A Cantonese-style meal traditionally eaten in the morning or early afternoon, comprising tea and food typically placed in small steamer baskets or on small plates, and often served from carts that move around from table to table in a restaurant.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The food served at a dim sum meal, typically including dumplings, seafood, and desserts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

traditional Chinese cuisine; a variety of foods (including several kinds of steamed or fried dumplings) are served successively in small portions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cuisine, culinary art

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Cantonese 點心/点心 (dim2 sam1), literally “to touch the heart gently; to refresh the heart”.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 點心 /点心 (dim2 sam1) — dim sum
  • Chinese: 點心 /点心 (zh-min-nan) — dim sum
  • Chinese Mandarin: 點心 /点心 (diǎnxīn) — dim sum
  • Finnish: dim sum — dim sum
  • French: dimsum — dim sum
  • German: Dim Sum — dim sum
  • German: Dimsum — dim sum
  • Hebrew: דים סאם — dim sum
  • Japanese: 点心 — dim sum
  • Korean: 딤섬 (dimseom) — dim sum
  • Polish: dim sum — dim sum
  • Portuguese: dim sum — dim sum
  • Russian: димса́м (dimsám) — dim sum
  • Russian: дяньси́нь (djanʹsínʹ) — dim sum
  • Tagalog: dimsum — dim sum
  • Thai: ติ่มซํา (dtìm-sam) — dim sum
  • Vietnamese: điểm sấm — dim sum