tenderloin
Americannoun
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(in beef or pork) the tender meat of the muscle running through the sirloin and terminating before the ribs.
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a cut of beef lying between the sirloin and ribs.
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(initial capital letter)
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(formerly) a district in New York City noted for corruption and vice: so called because police there could eat well from their bribes.
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a similar district in any U.S. city.
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noun
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a tender cut of pork or other meat from between the sirloin and ribs
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a district of a city that is particularly noted for vice and corruption
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tenderloin
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:
And Kitty’s Cafe, a real hole in the wall, has an amazing pork tenderloin sandwich.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Glasses of Champagne, truffles, gold leaf and caviar decorate the poached blue lobster and A5 Miyazaki beef tenderloin dishes here.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
After graduating in 2011, he debuted the Ooo-We! sauce, a “sweet, spicy, saucy glaze” that he said pairs well with everything from eggs to pork tenderloin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2025
Also popular are the Peking duck, baked free-range chicken with rock salt, diced beef tenderloin with black pepper and the pan-fried eggplant.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2024
The cook, placed upon her mettle, served a delicious repast—a luscious tenderloin broiled à point.
From "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin
After the outstanding performance, the researchers measured the biosensor's practicality using pork tenderloins purchased from a supermarket.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2024
This technique works well for everything from chops and steaks to whole tenderloins and even slices of denser vegetables such as sweet potatoes and fennel.
From Washington Times ● May 28, 2023
A great source of lean protein, Kirkwood's fresh chicken tenderloins are all natural and contain no artificial ingredients or other funky surprises.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2022
Rather, she seared slices of filet mignon for sandwiches and grilled whole beef tenderloins for parties.
From New York Times ● May 2, 2022
Split the pork tenderloins in such a way as to make rather thick slices.
From A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery by Corson, Juliet
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.
