tempura

American  

[tem-poor-uh] / tɛmˈpʊər ə /

noun

Japanese Cooking.

1. seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried.

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tempura British  

/ ˈtɛmpərə /

noun

1. a Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried, often at the table

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Etymology

Origin of tempura

1935–40; < Japanese tenpura, allegedly < Portuguese tempêro seasoning, taste (derivative of temperar to season < Latin temperāre; temper )

Example Sentences

There will also be shrimp tempura and Georgia peach and ricotta flatbread with hot honey.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

The maki rolls are flavorful, the crudo bright and refreshing, and there are plenty of vegetable-forward dishes as well, like tempura eggplant and kombu carrots.

From Salon • Feb. 2, 2026

For inventive Franco-Caribbean cuisine, try Alizé, which opened in 2024 in the Marina Royale with a menu that includes a coconut-lobster cocktail and tempura brie.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

The amount is equivalent to more than 6,000 orders of his most popular dish: soba with mixed vegetables and seafood tempura, which costs just over $3.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

There seems to be a hundred bowls of things I've never heard of before—katsudon and oyakodon and tempura and yaki soba—with plates of sushi and grilled fish and so much rice.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman