mullet

noun

mul·​let ˈmə-lət 

plural mullet or mullets

1

: any of a family (Mugilidae) of chiefly marine bony fishes with an elongated rather stout body compare goatfish, red mullet

2

[perhaps short for mullethead blockhead] : a hairstyle in which the hair is short on the sides and top and long at the back

Illustration of mullet

• mullet 1

Examples of mullet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Alligators, turtles, and mullet move through the waterways, while herons, egrets, warblers, and barred owls frequent the cypress stands and riverbanks. —Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025

Wolfgang Güllich, the great German climber who first free soloed the quintessential Yosemite roof climb Separate Reality in 1986, is pictured shirtless in red-and-white striped leggings, ripped as all hell, his shaggy mullet and mustache upgrading the photo to unforgettable. —Jesse Klein, Outside, 27 Dec. 2025

Now part-mullet, part-shag, her look was punk, brunette, a little unhinged, and entirely untameable—the kind of haircut that could never be neatly tied up in a bouncy ponytail or piled into an evening updo; the kind of haircut that would never earn you a desk job. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025

Nestled in the historic commercial fishing village of Cortez, Swordfish Grill is surrounded by working docks and pristine mangroves, gray pelicans and blue herons, leaping mullet, and frolicking dolphins. —Mary Lebus, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English molet, from Anglo-French mulet, from Latin mullus red mullet, from Greek myllos

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mullet

• red mullet

Rhymes for mullet

• gullet
• rivulet

Kids Definition

mullet

noun

mul·​let ˈməl-ət 

plural mullet or mullets

: any of a family of mostly gray food fishes chiefly of salt water compare red mullet