empanada

noun

em·​pa·​na·​da ˌem-pə-ˈnä-də How to pronounce empanada (audio)
: a turnover with a sweet or savory filling

Examples of empanada in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Next up was a tostada with organic oyster mushrooms, goat cheese and his zero-waste salsa macha, followed by an empanada made with corn, Soyrizo, more homemade cheese and a salsa verde made from zucchini tops. Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026 The recipe comes from Guatemalan chef and author Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, who uses frozen, pre-cut empanada wrappers to make things easy. Hannah Agran, Midwest Living, 22 Apr. 2026 The menu starts with croquetas or a beef empanada followed by a little gem salad or roasted beets with cheese. Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 6 Mar. 2026 Live Más Cafes in Southern California, Texas and Las Vegas will also have a new Sweet Empanadas & Cream Chiller made with blended pieces of the chocolate empanada on the menu for a limited time. Mike Snider, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for empanada

Word History

Etymology

American Spanish, from Spanish, feminine of empanado, past participle of empanar to bread, from em- (from Latin in-) + pan bread, from Latin panis — more at food

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of empanada was in 1866

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Cite this Entry

“Empanada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empanada. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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