Also called mulligan stew. a stew containing meat, vegetables, etc., especially one made of any available ingredients.
Golf. a shot not counted against the score, permitted in unofficial play to a player whose previous shot was poor.
First recorded in 1900–05; special use of proper name
A mulligan is a stew, often made with various leftovers. You might clean all the vegetables out of your fridge and whip up a mulligan. When you make a mulligan — also called a mulligan stew — you use odds and ends from your refrigerator and pantry. You can also use the word to refer to a specific situation in the game of golf: if you make a terrible shot, a mulligan is when you're allowed to try again. The stew came first, around 1905, and the golf stroke followed in the 1940s, possibly from the name of a specific Canadian golfer.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Oil shocks and heightened geopolitical tensions have reignited a familiar debate about whether policymakers should formally raise their inflation targets or simply take a mulligan and recommit.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
That seemed pretty vague, so here’s a chance for what golfers call a mulligan: Do you know how much childcare costs these days?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2024
They might not get another mulligan - even in Ireland.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
But all will be granted a mulligan of sorts.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2023
They were cooking their mulligan over the fires.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Mulligan is not Cole's biological son but had been raised by him since he was nine months old.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The second go-round of this anthology features an all-star cast, including Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, and tackles wealth inequity through wildly escalating antics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
"Beef," a Netflix anthology, stars Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan in its second iteration, which focuses on the explosive dynamic between two couples.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
His favorite is 1984’s jazzy “2:00 AM Paradise Cafe,” on which he collaborated with Mulligan, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Tormé.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 27, 2026
He flushed out Hercules Mulligan and ordered him arrested, but Mulligan outwitted Arnold and was released.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
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.
