Illustration of mandolin
- mandolin 1
mandolin
noun
man·do·lin
ˌman-də-ˈlin 
ˈman-də-lən
variants
or less commonly mandoline
ˌman-də-ˈlēn
ˈman-də-lən
1
: a musical instrument of the lute family that has a usually pear-shaped body and fretted neck and four to six pairs of strings
2
usually mandoline
[French, from Italian mandolino mandolin]
: a kitchen utensil with a blade for slicing and shredding
Examples of mandolin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
My background is so much in bluegrass, and bluegrass is all about that choppy kind of backbeat thing with the mandolin.
—
Tom Roland, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025
Cruz had been playing guitar for years — and also knows how to play the piano and mandolin.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Her soft-focus voice floats over trilling mandolin picking and reserved fiddle.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025
The opening acts for the first leg of the new tour include Billy Strings, mandolin wiz Sierra Hull and Lily Meola.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
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Tom Roland, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2025
Cruz had been playing guitar for years — and also knows how to play the piano and mandolin.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Her soft-focus voice floats over trilling mandolin picking and reserved fiddle.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2025
The opening acts for the first leg of the new tour include Billy Strings, mandolin wiz Sierra Hull and Lily Meola.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mandolin
Cite this Entry
“Mandolin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandolin. Accessed 12 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mandolin
noun
man·do·lin
ˌman-də-ˈlin
ˈman-dᵊl-ən
variants
also mandoline
ˌman-də-ˈlēn
ˈman-dᵊl-ən
: a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and four to six pairs of strings played by plucking
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