medley

noun med·ley \ ˈmed-lē \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of medley

plural medleys

1 archaic : melee

2 : a diverse assortment or mixture; especially : hodgepodge

a medley of sounds

a medley of desserts

was arrested on a medley of charges

3 : a musical composition made up of a series of songs or short pieces

a medley of show tunes

See medley defined for English-language learners

See medley defined for kids

Examples of medley in a Sentence

a medley of show tunes
a medley of snack foods available on the buffet table

Recent Examples of medley from the Web

All told, more than 300 singers, musicians and dancers will perform songs and medleys representing artists such as Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley.

— matthew j. palm, OrlandoSentinel.com, "CFCArts concert: Music of Michael Jackson, Aretha, Elvis and more — with hundreds of voices," 9 May 2018
The answer was an extended medley that, this being hip-hop, appropriately played like sonic collage.

— brett anderson, NOLA.com, "LL Cool J performed hip-hop history at New Orleans Jazz Fest," 5 May 2018
Program features favorites such as A Jubilant Overture by Alfred Reed and Lerner and Lowe medley arranged by Warren Barker.

— luann gibbs, Cincinnati.com, "Fun and free things to do this weekend in Cincinnati," 3 May 2018
Chef Suzana Davila is known for her complex mole sauces, often concocted from an unexpected medley of ingredients.

— roger naylor, azcentral, "Arizona's best Mexican restaurants: Tacos and more from Flagstaff to Tucson to Yuma," 1 May 2018
YouTube carries a handy medley of her sexiest moments on Suits.

— craig brown, The Cut, "Can This Marriage Be Saved?," 1 May 2018
Nicole Hutchinson, who led off Villanova’s victorious women’s distance medley and came back the next day to anchor the successful 4×1500 unit, was named women’s relay athlete of the meet.

— joe juliano, Philly.com, "Johnny Gregoreks returns to Penn Relays, posts sub-4-minute mile time," 28 Apr. 2018
His 2016 album, Worry, is one of the most ambitious of his career, with a lush array of horns and synths as well as a grand Abbey Road-like closing medley.

— tj kliebhan, Chicago Reader, "Do This / Music Jeff Rosenstock talks about his notorious Pitchfork set and how he’s sticking to his DIY punk principles," 24 Apr. 2018
The Daily Mail pointed out that during the Destiny's Child reunion medley, Beyoncé struggled to hold her top up.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Beyoncé Had a Wardrobe Malfunction at Coachella 2018, and Twitter Was So Supportive," 15 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medley.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of medley

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

medley Synonyms

Synonyms

agglomerate, agglomeration, assortment, clutter, collage, grab bag, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jumble, litter, mélange, miscellany, mishmash, mixed bag, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, patchwork, potpourri, ragbag, rummage, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, tumble, variety, welter;

admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up;

mess, morass, shambles;

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

medley

adjective

Definition of medley

: mixed, motley

Recent Examples of medley from the Web

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, "Memorial girls runner-up at 15-6A swim meet," 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, "Preview: St. Xavier highlights talented pool of Cincinnati swimmers, divers," 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, "Northwood boys and Woodbridge girls capture PCL swim championships.," 11 May 2017
Wright is a 100m back, 400 free and medley relay specialist.

— randy sachs, star-telegram.com, "Young swimmers work to create foundation for Mansfield Timberview," 12 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of medley

see ¹medley

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

MEDLEY Defined for English Language Learners

medley

noun

Definition of medley for English Language Learners

: a musical piece made up of parts of other musical works
: a mixture of different people or things
sports : a race in swimming in which swimmers use a different stroke for each different part of the race