Jump To:

• mulligan
  mulligan

  noun

  a stew containing meat, vegetables, etc., especially one made of any available ingredients.
• Mulligan
  Mulligan

  noun

  Gerald Joseph GerryJeru, 1927–96, U.S. jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer.

mulligan

¹ American  

[muhl-i-guhn] / ˈmʌl ɪ gən /

noun

1. Also called mulligan stew. a stew containing meat, vegetables, etc., especially one made of any available ingredients.

2. 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

1. Gerald Joseph GerryJeru, 1927–96, U.S. jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer.

---

Mulligan ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /

noun

1. Gerry , full name Gerald Joseph Mulligan. 1927–96, US jazz saxophonist, who pioneered the cool jazz style of the 1950s

---

mulligan ² British  

/ ˈmʌlɪɡən /

noun

1. a stew made from odds and ends of food

---

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

See Examples For:

mulligan Mulligan

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

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

They were cooking their mulligan over the fires.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Angela Bassett, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali and Awkwafina are all part of the cast.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

In 1973, he set up the label Mulligan Records and went on to produce 17 albums, with the label publishing music from a range of artists including Boomtown Rats, The Radiators and Agnes Bernell.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

Mr. Mulligan serves as HHS’s chief economist and is an economics professor at the University of Chicago.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Mulligan argued that evidence of infidelity was not evidence of murder and questioned why Flynn was being accused of tampering with evidence because his gun could not be found.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Two years later, Baby Kochamma returned from Rochester with a diploma in Ornamental Gardening, but more in love with Father Mulligan than ever.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• booby trap
• detonator
• dynamite
• gunpowder
• mine
• missile
• munition
• powder

---