muumuu

noun

muu·​muu ˈmü-ˌmü How to pronounce muumuu (audio)
: a loose often long dress having bright colors and patterns and adapted from the dresses originally distributed by missionaries to the native women of Hawaii

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web There was no way that after almost 20 years, the gun-toting, muumuu-wearing, glad-to-cuss-everybody-out elderly woman would leave so quietly. Essence, 28 Jan. 2022 There is a photo in my baby book of my mother pregnant with me in an oversized floral muumuu that haunts me. Hayley Bloomingdale, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2021 Cooking class was taught by Mrs. Shaw, an elderly, muumuu-wearing transplant from somewhere in the South, and was dominated by a clique of boisterous girls who ate brown sugar by the handful straight out of the cannisters. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2021 For such occasions, Fran dons a muumuu (a long loose dress from Hawaii), which is an image that has created some mirth among friends and family. David G. Molyneaux, cleveland, 17 Dec. 2020 Maggie was sometimes the butt of her daughter’s jokes, both on the show and in Kathy’s standup comedy, sent up as a gruff, muumuu-wearing throwback. New York Times, 20 Mar. 2020 The fashion available to moms-to-be is few and far between, often either made with bad, stretchy Lycra or cut in the silhouette of a matronly muumuu. Brooke Bobb, Vogue, 11 Jan. 2019 Retired teacher Julie Miller, for example, remembered how Rundall used to walk to school barefoot, wearing a muumuu. Paige Cornwell, The Seattle Times, 21 Sep. 2017 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian mu'umu'u, from mu'umu'u cut off

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muumuu was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near muumuu

Cite this Entry

“Muumuu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muumuu. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

muumuu

noun
muu·​muu ˈmü-ˌmü How to pronounce muumuu (audio)
: a usually long, loose-fitting, and brightly-colored dress originally worn in Hawaii

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