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
Given the constitutional crisis the nation currently finds itself in, watching the men in “Sinners” readily accept the leadership of a qualified Black woman felt like a cinematic mulligan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025
Hopes of yet another mulligan came after a Week 7 win over Buffalo that stopped a 1-5 start.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 13, 2023
The tour loosely known as golf’s greatest mulligan is in a good spot.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2022
They were cooking their mulligan over the fires.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Darby Mulligan was fresh out of a long-term relationship when she first dipped her toes in the dating pool at age 21.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mulligan is not Cole's biological son but had been raised by him since he was nine months old.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 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
It’s a tie atop this category, with Sarah Pidgeon and Carey Mulligan sharing the spotlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
One such New York agent was a tailor named Hercules Mulligan.
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.
