medley

1 of 2

noun

med·​ley ˈmed-lē How to pronounce medley (audio)
plural medleys
1
: a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short pieces
a medley of show tunes
2
: a diverse assortment or mixture
especially : hodgepodge
a medley of sounds
a medley of desserts
was arrested on a medley of charges
3
archaic : melee

medley

2 of 2

adjective

Examples of medley in a Sentence

Noun a medley of show tunes a medley of snack foods available on the buffet table
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, and Keith Robinson nail a Dreamgirls medley in 2007 Most Popular Weddings Rihanna! Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2024 Live's After the Oscars episode will feature musician Andy Grammer performing a medley of songs, comedian Sebastian Maniscalco offering his take on the night, and Project Runway's Elaine Welteroth talking Oscars fashion. Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 To honor fan-favorite anime series celebrating milestones, a medley of iconic songs from each series was performed by a live orchestra. Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 Mar. 2024 Another special attendee at the Brits this year was Kylie Minogue, who received the coveted global icon award and performed a medley of her hits to close the show. Dan Heching, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 The historic Brooklyn Paramount Theatre reopens with a medley of shows. The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024 The Mexican star performed a six-minute-plus medley with several wardrobe changes. Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 23 Feb. 2024 The wildflower medley along Palo Verde often includes a supporting cast of fairy duster, blue phacelia, evening primrose, yellow throat gilia and cream cups to go along with the poppies, lupines and brittles. Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2024 Lenny Kravitz performed a medley spanning his more than 35-year career at the People’s Choice Awards on Sunday. Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 18 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In a medley performance featuring Brandy and 21 Savage, the Nigerian musician became the first Afrobeats artist to take the stage. Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 The rest of the evening’s medley sets included performances from Def Squad, and Reggae medley with Doug E. Fresh, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Fabolous, Styles P, Ja Rule, a special 50 year wrap-up from Mad Skillz, and dance round up from the best dance crazes in music history. Okla Jones, Essence, 26 June 2023 Although Pioneer had only one individual winner — Gabriel Sanchez-Burks won the 50 and 100 freestyle (20.19 and 45.25) — the team defended its title with depth, winning all three relays (1:33.73 in the medley, 1:25.95 in the 200 free and 3:07.96 in the 400 free). Wright Wilson, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2023 Sacred Heart won all three relays — 200 medley, 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle — with Crush anchoring the first and last. Jason Frakes, The Courier-Journal, 18 Feb. 2023 The Texans were led by their girls medley team, which reached the championship final and placed eighth, and Megan Lewis, who took seventh in the 500 free and ninth for the B final victory in the 200 free. Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2020 Spring Woods sends all six relays to regionals, led by the fifth-place medley boys team of Samuel Jennings, Hewry Schmidt, Jacob Jennings and Clayton Richard. Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, 24 Jan. 2018 Hunter will have back the GMC third team 200 medley team of Owen Pelzer, Kevin LaGrange, Jakob Eichhorn and Aidan Flanigan. Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, 8 Dec. 2017 In addition, Munoz was part of the winning 200 medley team (back-23.43), and 400 free relay team third leg (45.29). Staff Report, Orange County Register, 11 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'medley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English medle, from Anglo-French medlee, from feminine of medlé, past participle of medler to mix — more at meddle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of medley was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near medley

Cite this Entry

“Medley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medley. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

medley

noun
med·​ley
ˈmed-lē
plural medleys
1
: mixture sense 2
especially : a confused mixture
2
: a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short musical pieces

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