tenderloin
noun
Did you know?
A tenderloin, of course, is a juicy and tasty cut of meat. In the late 19th century, however, Tenderloin saw use as a nickname for the neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, west of Broadway and below 42nd Street. This district, which contained numerous bordellos, gambling houses, and watering holes, alongside theaters and hotels, became a hotbed of corruption - and, it was alleged by some, blackmail by police. The notion of dishonest law enforcers being able to afford a nice meal off activity in this district is believed to have given the Tenderloin its name. Soon the term was applied to similarly seedy districts in other cities.
Examples of tenderloin in a Sentence
Imelda García, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026
Inside, the aromas of beef tenderloin, simmering vegetables, sweet potatoes and gravy wafted from the small commercial kitchen.
—Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 18 Mar. 2026
Up in Alaska, Denali is honored with pork tenderloin with lingonberry gastrique and spruce-top shortbread cookies.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
From home cooks to recipe developers, social media feeds have filled up over the past few months with people purchasing large slabs of uncut meat -- beef tenderloin, New York strip loin and ribeye -- from Costco and breaking it down at home to cut it into individual portions.
—Kelly McCarthy, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tenderloin
Cite this Entry
“Tenderloin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tenderloin. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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tenderloin
noun
