mutiny
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have mutiniedperfect
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has mutiniedperfect 3rd person singular
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am mutinyingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been mutinyingperfect progressive
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is mutinyingprogressive 3rd person singular
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are mutinyingprogressive
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mutiniessingular 3rd person
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mutinyingparticiple
-
has been mutinyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had mutiniedperfect
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had been mutinyingperfect progressive
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was mutinyingprogressive singular
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were mutinyingprogressive plural
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mutiniedparticiple
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mutiniedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of mutiny
1560–70; obsolete mutine to mutiny (< Middle French mutiner, derivative of mutin mutiny; see mutineer) + -y 3
Explanation
A mutiny is a rebellion against authority, like when sailors overthrow the captain of a ship or when a class of 8th graders refuses to dissect a frog in biology class. Mutiny comes from an old verb, mutine, which means "revolt," and a mutiny is still like a revolt. It can be a group of people, like in the famous Mutiny on the Bounty in 1789 when the crew of a British Royal Navy ship kicked the captain out so they could stay in Tahiti. (Totally worth it.) Mutiny also means "to refuse the order of the person in authority," so it doesn't always take place at sea or in the military, it can happen in a classroom and be every teacher's nightmare!
Vocabulary lists containing mutiny
The Cay
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Christopher Columbus' Diary: The First Voyage
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Refugee
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Before Putin confidant Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group turned against Mr. Putin in their infamous mutiny of June 2023, Prigozhin took to Telegram to denounce Russia’s generals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026
Alekseyev, who had longtime links with Wagner, was detained after the mutiny and later released.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026
And amid the Ukraine war he was despatched to negotiate with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin during his attempted mutiny against Russian military top brass in 2023.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
He was also sent to negotiate with the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a short and bloody mutiny in June 2023.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
“Mutton, mutiny, destiny, desperately,” I tell him, putting his own impersonation to shame.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
