mulligan
noun
a stew containing meat, vegetables, etc., especially one made of any available ingredients.
mulligan
1 American
[muhl-i-guhn]
/ ˈmʌl ɪ gən /
noun
-
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.
Mulligan
2
American
[muhl-i-guhn]
/ ˈmʌl ɪ gən /
noun
Mulligan
1
British
/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /
noun
mulligan
2
British
/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /
noun
Etymology
Origin of mulligan
First recorded in 1900–05; special use of proper name
Explanation
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.
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:
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
It’s as if MLS gave Colorado a mulligan and the way the game was played suffered as a result.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
This week, however, is his first major with the players from the regular tour — a well-used mulligan in a game that is stingy about second chances.
From Seattle Times ● May 14, 2024
They might not get another mulligan - even in Ireland.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
They were cooking their mulligan over the fires.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Brook added he "wholeheartedly sympathised" with Mulligan and said there was a lack of funding going into national parks.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Asked whether he anticipated the negative response from some residents, Mulligan said he did because people were "passionate about the national park".
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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
In high school I used to go see Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, and I was touched by them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Father Mulligan would say, stopping and folding his umbrella.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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.
