piñata
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing pinata
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:
At the Hidden Valley headquarters in Oakland, Calif., members of the ranch team often huddle around a pizza-shaped couch, surrounded by ranch poster-covered walls, a ranch piñata and giant cutouts of bottles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
And of course there is a piñata, in the shape of a sun and studded with local dried pinto beans, to represent the most joyful of picnic activities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
It's like a piñata at the end of a kids party – it doesn't matter how many times you hit it, you're not going to get much more out of it.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 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
I give the piñata a strike with the broom, and sure enough, I hit it on the first try.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
We’re still picnicking under piñatas, and some of us still gather at newsstands to flip through artful magazines and meet like-minded strangers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Stewart recommends making pumpkin piñatas, bobbing for apples or nibbling on doughnuts hanging from a string.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2025
Some take animalistic forms, looking like out-of-control piñatas.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025
His parents had gone looking for piñatas — a staple of their family celebrations — at local stores but had come up short.
From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
The rugs and chairs and ponchos and piñatas.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
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.
