mullet

noun

mul·​let ˈmə-lət 

plural mullet or mullets

1

: any of a family (Mugilidae) of chiefly marine bony fishes with an elongate 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

At that time, Englewood was still mostly a town of mullet fishers and service workers employed by the higher-end resort communities to the north and south. —Stephanie Hanes, The Christian Science Monitor, 7 Jan. 2025

Clumps of hair were missing, and their long locks had been transformed into patchy, uneven mullets. —Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025

Since, the Mexican convenience store has changed its name to Mini Super Buk-II's and changed its logo to a different rodent wearing a red shirt and sporting a mullet. —Marta Mieze, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2025

And while a preshow video displayed a parade of hairstyles that have come and gone — oh, the mullet era! — the big white cowboy hat remains. —Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 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