tenderloin
Americannoun
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(in beef or pork) the tender meat of the muscle running through the sirloin and terminating before the ribs.
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a cut of beef lying between the sirloin and ribs.
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(initial capital letter)
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(formerly) a district in New York City noted for corruption and vice: so called because police there could eat well from their bribes.
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a similar district in any U.S. city.
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noun
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a tender cut of pork or other meat from between the sirloin and ribs
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a district of a city that is particularly noted for vice and corruption
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tenderloin
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.
See Examples For:
Fried foods featured in my quiz included the fried pork tenderloin sandwich, which was popularized in Indiana.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I hard-seared the thick boneless pork chops from this bundle — which also includes a shoulder, St. Louis ribs, and a tenderloin — almost like a steak, and wow.
From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2025
After graduating in 2011, he debuted the Ooo-We! sauce, a “sweet, spicy, saucy glaze” that he said pairs well with everything from eggs to pork tenderloin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
The leanest pork cuts include the loin, tenderloin, center loin and ham.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
The cook, placed upon her mettle, served a delicious repast—a luscious tenderloin broiled à point.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
Or a simple salad with almonds and watercress or a garlic-strawberry sauce that’s great on pork tenderloins and grilled chicken.
From Salon ● May 23, 2025
After the outstanding performance, the researchers measured the biosensor's practicality using pork tenderloins purchased from a supermarket.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024
“For the food, serve a few pork tenderloins instead of a big beef cut. It’s delicious, easy to cook and very cost-efficient,” said Ms. Hannon, who owns a kitchen boutique shop.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 20, 2022
The concept is as simple as it is effective: Hunters bring their excess harvest to one of seven participating butcher shops, where the deer are dressed and frozen into roasts, steaks, tenderloins and ground meat.
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2021
Buy the cheaper cuts of stewing meats, and by long, slow simmering, they will become sweet and tender and of equal nutritive value as higher priced sirloins and tenderloins.
From Mary at the Farm and Book of Recipes Compiled during Her Visit among the "Pennsylvania Germans" by Thomas, Edith
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.
