mah-jongg
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
Etymology
Origin of mah-jongg
1920–25; < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. màh-jéuk, Chinese máquè literally, sparrow (depicted on the first tile of a set), equivalent to má hemp + què bird
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.
Lin, who redistributes antique vinyl for music label Light in the Attic Records, says her “archival anxiety” drives her fascination with mah-jongg.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
He jokes that he learned to play mah-jongg by “taking money from the aunties.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
She loves to talk about how mah-jongg is often mischaracterized as an ancient game played by Chinese emperors when it was really invented in the mid-1800s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2023
These are trade-offs you really should consider before giving up on your book club or your mah-jongg group, or discouraging your friends and family from dropping in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2023
His claws, clattering across the linoleum, sounded like mah-jongg tiles in play.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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.
