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Definition of bao

bao

/baʊ/
bao
Plural:baos
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bao Lexical Profile

bao Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

A traditional Chinese soft, fluffy steamed bun or bread-like dumpling, typically folded around a savory or sweet filling such as barbecued pork, minced vegetables, or lotus seed paste.

Example

"We stopped at the night market to buy a bamboo steamer basket filled with hot pork bao."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for bao

Word Nuance & Usage

In English usage, the term is frequently tautological as people often order a 'bao bun', even though 'bao' directly translates to 'bun'.

• Rhymes for bao

• Nearby Words

banter
banyan
banzai
bao
baobab
baoule
baoule river

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed directly from Mandarin Chinese 包 (bāo), meaning 'bag', 'wrapper', or 'bun', referring to the folded and steamed nature of the dough.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Bao. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/bao
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