Puccini

American

[poo-chee-nee, poot-chee-nee] / puˈtʃi ni, putˈtʃi ni /

noun

Giacomo 1858–1924, Italian operatic composer.

Puccini British

/ pʊˈtʃiːnɪ /

noun

Giacomo (ˈdʒaːkomo). 1858–1924, Italian operatic composer, noted for the dramatic realism of his operas, which include Manon Lescaut (1893), La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madame Butterfly (1904)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

It’s as if an opera house devoted its entire season to three Puccini standards without even a glance at the works of Mozart, Verdi or Wagner.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

She also blamed Puccini for making singers and audiences lazy, because he wasn’t challenging enough.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2024

"Puccini and Verdi and Mozart were writing operas that dealt with the issues of their time," he said.

From Salon • Oct. 6, 2024

They were rewarded with three works by Puccini, alongside Henry Mancini's rinky-dink Pink Panther theme, and the traditional programme of sea shanties and patriotic songs like Jerusalem and Rule, Britannia!

From BBC • Sep. 14, 2024

He’d sit forward while the notes of Puccini sounded before him.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023