mu·ti·ny
ˈmyü-tə-nē 
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
1
: forcible or passive resistance to lawful authority
especially
: concerted (see concerted sense 1) revolt (as of a naval crew) against discipline or a superior officer
The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship.
mutinied; mutinying; mutinies
: to rise against or refuse to obey or observe authority
He mutinied not just against God but against the older generation of Romanian intellectuals.—
Will Blythe
Will Blythe
specifically, of soldiers, sailors, etc.
: to rebel against military authority : to stage a mutiny
Months wore on, and about half of [Christopher] Columbus's men mutinied and tried to sail by canoe to Hispaniola. —Owen Gingerich
Owen Gingerich In April 1779 a draft of sixty men from the 71st Highlanders mutinied when they were told they were to go to America and refused to march aboard the transports. —Christopher Hibbert
Christopher Hibbert Synonyms
Examples of mutiny in a Sentence
Noun
The mutiny was led by the ship's cook.
The sailors staged a mutiny and took control of the ship.
Verb
the party's conservative faction mutinied just before the election
Recent Examples on the Web
Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Every Newcastle fan of a certain generation remembers Ruud Gullit’s infamous spell as manager and the mutiny that was caused by him dropping Alan Shearer, the local hero, for a derby defeat against Sunderland, early in the 1999-2000 season.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, any question that Jod and Captain Silvo (the pirate whose crew mutinied in the series premiere) are one and the same was dismissed, when Brutus and his crew spoke of how Silvo had escaped the brig before facing a trial.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Dec. 2024
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Noun
Specifically, how the outies of Mark, Helly, Irvin and Dylan are reacting to last season's mutiny.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Every Newcastle fan of a certain generation remembers Ruud Gullit’s infamous spell as manager and the mutiny that was caused by him dropping Alan Shearer, the local hero, for a derby defeat against Sunderland, early in the 1999-2000 season.
—Daniel Taylor, The Athletic, 29 Dec. 2024
Verb
In June 2023, the group mutinied and marched on Moscow before then leader Yevgeny Prigozhin negotiated a deal with the Kremlin.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 13 Dec. 2024
Meanwhile, any question that Jod and Captain Silvo (the pirate whose crew mutinied in the series premiere) are one and the same was dismissed, when Brutus and his crew spoke of how Silvo had escaped the brig before facing a trial.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mutiny
Articles Related to mutiny
Dictionary Entries Near mutiny
Cite this Entry
“Mutiny.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutiny. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mutiny
noun
mu·ti·ny
ˈmyüt-ᵊn-ē
ˈmyüt-nē
plural mutinies
: refusal to obey authority
especially
: a military outbreak against the officer in charge
mutiny
verb
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