piñata

noun

pi·ña·ta | \ pēn-ˈyä-tə

, pin-\

variants: or pinata

Definition of piñata

: 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

Starting pitchers were pinatas in this game — and afterthoughts — save for the fact that the Ryu entered the evening with a 1.27 ERA, having given up a total of 14 earned runs in his first 15 starts. — Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, "Rockies win slugfest over Dodgers to snap 12-game losing streak against Blue Bombers from LA," 28 June 2019 Whether Rocker will get Vanderbilt’s Game 1 start could depend on coach Tim Corbin’s loyalty to his titular ace, Drake Fellows (12-1), who was pounded like a pinata Friday night against Duke. — Tim Sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "What it lacks in star power, Louisville baseball makes up for in offensive firepower," 11 June 2019 Second row slides forward for easy third-row ingress, and lays flat for a full flat floor for transporting folding tables and chairs, and a pinata or two. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Nissan Armada review: The beauty of this beast is value," 11 Apr. 2018 Luz Velazquez and her mother Luz Larios, owner of Pinatas and More, make a Donald Trump pinata at their shop on May 9, 2018. — Christopher Borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "Trump piñatas a hit across cultures," 16 May 2018 Be sure not to miss the pinata-making class (2 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday) taught by The Pinata Shop's Carolina Vidal. — Anchorage Daily News, "Here’s what’s happening in Anchorage for Cinco de Mayo," 4 May 2018 There was a giant water slide for the children and a game of pinata. — Mary Carole Mccauley, baltimoresun.com, ""Miracle" baby celebrates his first birthday at home," 9 June 2018 Fortunately, a lot of the floats were passing out candy, so no one felt the urge to bust open Sun King Brewery's pinata. — Domenica Bongiovanni, Indianapolis Star, "Indy Pride: 7 proud moments that stood out at the parade," 9 June 2018 Hint: Vigilant kids will want to keep watch for the pinata-like Sky Kite that drops candy several times during the event. — Jen Banowetz, Naperville Sun, "Kite fest returns to Naperville," 24 May 2018

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

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Last Updated

3 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for piñata

The first known use of piñata was in 1868

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More Definitions for piñata

piñata

noun

English Language Learners Definition of piñata

: a decorated container filled with candies, fruits, and gifts that is hung up at parties or celebrations and hit with a stick by children until it is broken and the things inside it fall out

See the full definition for piñata in the English Language Learners Dictionary

piñata

noun

pi·ña·ta | \ pēn-ˈyä-tə\