mandolin

noun

man·​do·​lin ˌman-də-ˈlin 

ˈman-də-lən

variants or less commonly mandoline

ˌman-də-ˈlēn 

ˈman-də-lən

1

: a musical instrument of the lute family that has a usually pear-shaped body and fretted neck and four to six pairs of strings

2

usually mandoline [French, from Italian mandolino mandolin] : a kitchen utensil with a blade for slicing and shredding

mandolinist

ˌman-də-ˈli-nist 

noun

Illustration of mandolin

• mandolin 1

Examples of mandolin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Playing the banjo, the guitar and some mandolin as well as singing tenor vocals, Manion became the leader and chief humorist of the band. — Arkansas Online, 11 July 2026

Chris plays things on the mandolin that people never thought were possible. — George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026

Recorded over the span of a week in Oxford, Mississippi, with Clay Jones—a producer whose credits include 21st century work with Modest Mouse and mandolin on a Counting Crows album—Birds of Paradise has a driving, electric sound that’s as essential to the experience as the songwriting itself. — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026

There are guys in Jubilee who play mandolin, piano, banjo, and ukulele, and one of the other men’s houses, Bonaventure, has a folk band in the mold of the Hillbilly Thomists, a Catholic cult favorite. — Emma Green, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian mandolino, diminutive of mandola

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mandolin

• aneurin
• crystallin
• eosin
• porphyrin
• superfine
• underpin
• vietminh
• violin
• akin
• auxin
• buckskin
• chagrin

Kids Definition

mandolin

noun

man·​do·​lin ˌman-də-ˈlin 

ˈman-dᵊl-ən

variants also mandoline

ˌman-də-ˈlēn 

ˈman-dᵊl-ən

: a stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and four to six pairs of strings played by plucking