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

Some people are just not prepared to handle the power of the mullet. —EW.com, 25 June 2025

Delta fishermen eventually learned to smell redfish from a hundred yards off, and to distinguish the clouds of mud kicked up by their tails from those made by mullet or sheepshead. —Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2025

The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy The laughs are as big as the mullets in this rollicking story about a hugely successful hair-metal band that’s really a cover for a covert operation in Cold War-era Eastern Europe. —Andrea Lavinthal, People.com, 18 June 2025

First, an anthropomorphic mullet named Jaromir Jagr arrived in Pittsburgh, got weirdly friendly with some peanut butter, and became arguably the most entertaining player of his generation. —Sean McIndoe, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 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