mu·ti·ny
ˈmyü-tə-nē 
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
1
: forcible or passive resistance to lawful authority
especially
: concerted (see concerted sense 1) revolt (as of a naval crew) against discipline or a superior officer
The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship.
mutinied; mutinying; mutinies
: to rise against or refuse to obey or observe authority
He mutinied not just against God but against the older generation of Romanian intellectuals.—
Will Blythe
Will Blythe
specifically, of soldiers, sailors, etc.
: to rebel against military authority : to stage a mutiny
Months wore on, and about half of [Christopher] Columbus's men mutinied and tried to sail by canoe to Hispaniola. —Owen Gingerich
Owen Gingerich In April 1779 a draft of sixty men from the 71st Highlanders mutinied when they were told they were to go to America and refused to march aboard the transports. —Christopher Hibbert
Christopher Hibbert Synonyms
Examples of mutiny in a Sentence
Noun
The mutiny was led by the ship's cook.
The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship.
Verb
the party's conservative faction mutinied just before the election
Recent Examples on the Web
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2024
The 50 men who continued to refuse were tried as a group and convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit mutiny.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2024
Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times, 19 May 2024
In early November, as the German naval command contemplated initiating a final climactic and likely suicidal attack on the British fleet, German sailors mutinied in the city of Kiel, leading to a wider revolution.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2023
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Noun
The man has spent the entire season walking up to the edge of mutiny only to retreat.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 4 Aug. 2024
The 50 men who continued to refuse were tried as a group and convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit mutiny.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 July 2024
Verb
French sailors aboard two ships off the Crimean Peninsula mutinied, pulled down the tricolor, ran up the Red flag and then went ashore to join a pro-Bolshevik demonstration.
—Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times, 19 May 2024
In early November, as the German naval command contemplated initiating a final climactic and likely suicidal attack on the British fleet, German sailors mutinied in the city of Kiel, leading to a wider revolution.
—Max Bergmann, Foreign Affairs, 18 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for mutiny
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Cite this Entry
“Mutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutiny. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mutiny
noun
mu·ti·ny
ˈmyüt-ᵊn-ē
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
: refusal to obey authority
especially
: a military outbreak against the officer in charge
mutiny
verb
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