piñata

American  

[pin-yah-tuh, pee-nyah-tah] / pɪnˈyɑ tə, piˈnyɑ tɑ /

noun

piñatas plural

1. (in Mexico and Central America) colorful papier-mâché figure or cheerfully decorated crock filled with toys, candy, etc., and suspended from above, especially during Christmas or birthday festivities, so that children, who are blindfolded, may break it or knock it down with sticks and release the contents.

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piñata British  

/ ˌpɪnˈjata /

noun

1. a papier-mâché party decoration filled with sweets, hung up during parties, and struck with a stick until it breaks open

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• piñatas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of piñata

1885–90; < Spanish: literally, pot < Italian pignatta, probably derivative of dial. pigna pinecone (from the pot's shape) < Latin pīnea, noun use of feminine of pīneus of the pine tree; see pine ¹, -eous

Explanation

A pinata is a hanging animal-shaped container, full of candy, that blindfolded party guests take turns hitting with a stick. When a pinata finally breaks open, everyone rushes to grab as many treats as they can. Most pinatas are made of papier-mâché, though historically there have also been pottery and cloth pinatas. The Mexican Spanish source, piñata, means "jug or pot," and the earliest Mexican and Aztec pinatas were clay pots full of fruit and sweets. The tradition can be traced back to ancient China, and after that to fourteenth century Spanish celebrations of Lent. Today in Mexico, hitting a pinata is a common part of Christmas celebrations.

Example Sentences

The economy may be less like a tire swing that always bounces back after being whacked with a stick, and more like a piñata that eventually bursts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

The Dodgers somehow concealed their piñata of a bullpen in the three previous rounds of the postseason, but that bullpen is now catching up with them.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2025

In 2018, he smashed a piñata of the Central Bank on live television.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

It’s like watching hands frantically reach out for candy after a piñata has been broken into — gluttony at its finest.

From Salon • May 11, 2025

One at a time, he blindfolds Izzie, Dennis, Lily, and Danielle and spins them around and around, so they are facing the wrong direction and totally miss the piñata.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar