Illustration of piñata
piñata
noun
pi·ña·ta
pēn-ˈyä-tə 
pin-
variants
or pinata
: a decorated vessel (such as of papier-mâché) filled with candies, fruits, and gifts and hung up to be broken with sticks by blindfolded persons as part of especially Latin American festivities (as at Christmas or for a birthday party)
Examples of piñata in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s when the game turned into a pinata — the Panthers with the stick, the Canes busted wide open.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 May 2025
Customers typically came in weeks, if not months, in advance to order custom pinatas for birthdays, holidays, religious celebrations and bachelorette parties, the store’s owners said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
The family makes about 20 to 30 pinatas per week, so orders filled up quickly.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was batted around like a pinata, sacked five times behind a makeshift offensive line, where the personnel all but wore name tags to identify themselves.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
Crafts include making paper bag pinatas on Oct. 10 and maracas on Oct. 13, and creating paper picado art on Oct. 12.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024
The media treats every streamer misstep as a pinata to swing at, except for Netflix.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024
Throw water balloons, or make water balloon pinatas.
—Jennifer Wolf, Parents, 30 July 2024
Put the historical baggage onto the scales, and a Lions confetti shower in New Orleans next winter would far exceed the Chargers winning it or longtime pinatas such as the Jets, Bears, Jaguars, Cardinals and Falcons holding the trophy aloft.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024
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Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 25 May 2025
Customers typically came in weeks, if not months, in advance to order custom pinatas for birthdays, holidays, religious celebrations and bachelorette parties, the store’s owners said.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
The family makes about 20 to 30 pinatas per week, so orders filled up quickly.
—Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was batted around like a pinata, sacked five times behind a makeshift offensive line, where the personnel all but wore name tags to identify themselves.
—Jay Paris, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024
Crafts include making paper bag pinatas on Oct. 10 and maracas on Oct. 13, and creating paper picado art on Oct. 12.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 8 Sep. 2024
The media treats every streamer misstep as a pinata to swing at, except for Netflix.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 3 Sep. 2024
Throw water balloons, or make water balloon pinatas.
—Jennifer Wolf, Parents, 30 July 2024
Put the historical baggage onto the scales, and a Lions confetti shower in New Orleans next winter would far exceed the Chargers winning it or longtime pinatas such as the Jets, Bears, Jaguars, Cardinals and Falcons holding the trophy aloft.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Piñata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pi%C3%B1ata. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piñata
noun
pi·ña·ta
pēn-ˈyät-ə
: a decorated container filled with candies, fruits, and gifts which is hung up to be broken open with sticks by blindfolded persons during festivities
Etymology
Spanish, literally, "pot"
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