mariachi

noun

ma·​ri·​a·​chi ˌmär-ē-ˈä-chē 

ˌmer-

1

: a small, strolling, Mexican band consisting usually of trumpeters, guitarists, and violinists

also : a musician belonging to such a band

—often used before another noun

mariachi music

2

: the music performed by a mariachi

Examples of mariachi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, founded in South El Monte, rewrote the rules of music, becoming the first all-woman mariachi ensemble that has entertained for more than three decades. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026

Ana Yadira Sanchez-Rangel, 21, steps onto the floor wearing a mariachi outfit representing Guadalajara, Jalisco, a city in Mexico tied to her family’s roots. —David Rodriguez Muñoz, Freep.com, 28 Feb. 2026

Backed by a mariachi ensemble — featuring trumpets, violins, guitarrón, and vihuela — the singer, dressed in a classic matador suit in the song’s music video, strums a nylon guitar in a scene straight out of a dream. —Isabela Raygoza, Billboard, 28 Feb. 2026

The sounds of mariachi music filled the air Saturday on the unusually hot morning atop Mount Soledad. —Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Mexican Spanish, perhaps modification of French mariage marriage

First Known Use

1923, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mariachi

• carapace
• gonococci
• streptococci
• enterococci
• staphylococci