bologna
noun
a large seasoned sausage made of finely ground meat, usually beef and pork, that has been cooked and smoked.
bologna
1 American
[buh-loh-nee, -nuh, -lohn-yuh]
/ bəˈloʊ ni, -nə, -ˈloʊn jə /
noun
-
bolognas
plural
Bologna
2
American
[buh-lohn-yuh, baw-law-nyah]
/ bəˈloʊn jə, bɔˈlɔ njɑ /
noun
-
Giovanni da Jean de BoulogneGiambologna, c1525–1608, Italian sculptor, born in France.
-
a city in N Italy.
Bologna
1
British
/ boˈloɲɲa, bəˈləʊnjə /
noun
Bologna
2
British
/ boˈloɲɲa, bəˈləʊnjə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bologna
1555–65; after Bologna, Italy
Explanation
Bologna is a sliced sausage often used as lunch meat. If there's "mystery meat" on the menu at school, you'll probably be glad you packed a bologna sandwich. Bologna evolved from mortadella, a pork sausage invented in Bologna, Italy. While bologna is pork-based, it can contain beef, chicken, turkey, or even soy protein. This pale, salty lunch meat is mild in flavor and a favorite with kids who find salami a bit too spicy. The correct pronunciation is "bo-LO-nya," but it's common to say "ba-LO-nee" instead. Experts attribute this to Anglicization, which often leaves Italian words with Y endings — like Italia becoming Italy.
Vocabulary lists containing bologna
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:
Steinem would bring her coffee and bologna sandwiches—a desperate child’s conception of a nourishing meal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
But the military changed Vance’s perspective on food — specifically the fare of his upbringing, such as bologna sandwiches topped with crumbled potato chips.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2024
In addition to the liverwurst, Boar's Head is recalling ham, bologna, salami, bacon and more products.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2024
Lightlife makes sliced “turkey,” and also plant-based ham and bologna, so you can recreate some of the classic combos.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 1, 2023
Floss Gaddis and her mother had bought a whole lot of sliced bologna.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
He has captained Bologna since 2023 and led them to their first Coppa Italia in over 50 years in 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Among the visitors on a recent day was Duccio Pierazzi, a 64-year-old architect from Bologna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
A new study led by researchers at the University of Bologna suggests that the markings were far more organized than simple scratches or improvised decorations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
“Wes is an amazing community-builder as a human being,” said Peter Becker, president of Criterion, in a video call from the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Consider the first campaign he waged against Bologna while Messer Giovanni Bentivoglio was still alive.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
He composed little, settled down in Paris to grow fat from his well-stocked wine cellar and his imported bolognas.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Does he mean our rations have gone short, and that we'll have to go collecting bolognas?" innocently asked a young American, who had lately joined.
From Air Service Boys Over The Rhine Fighting Above The Clouds by Charles Amory Beach
Before embarking on the Walsh he laid in a stock of "bolognas," a few pounds of the rankest "Sweitzer kase" and an abundance of "pretzels."
From The Expressman and the Detective by Allan Pinkerton
Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland, all contribute, as does India, Persia, Arabia, and each pay their quota, in sour-krout, raisins, parmera, bolognas, curacao, rice, sago, soy, potatoes, etc.
From The Physiology of Taste by Fayette Robinson
An’ ef de chile didn’t grab one 192 of ma bolognas and done git out de cab an’ run around de house.”
From Our Next-Door Neighbors by Belle Kanaris Maniates
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.
