Mardi Gras
noun
Mar·di Gras
ˈmär-dē-ˌgrä 
in New Orleans commonly -ˌgrȯ
1
a
: Shrove Tuesday often observed (as in New Orleans) with parades and festivities
b
: a carnival period climaxing on Shrove Tuesday
2
: a festive occasion resembling a pre-Lenten Mardi Gras
Examples of Mardi Gras in a Sentence
We're going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
It was a Mardi Gras to remember!
Recent Examples on the Web
In Vermont, downtown Burlington had a Mardi Gras vibe yesterday,as people packed the pedestrian mall.
—
Maura Barrett, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Nowadays, Moon Pies are tossed from floats during Mardi Gras.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
The attraction will culminate in a giant Mardi Gras musical celebration.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Major Events Universal Orlando puts on three major annual events each year: Universal Mardi Gras, Halloween Horror Nights, and Holidays at Universal Orlando.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
Residents unwind at its famed, raucous take on Mardi Gras and annual Elvis festival, and relish dirt-track and dragon boat racing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Kirkpatrick's comments come just weeks after New Orleans, considered one of America's top tourist and party cities, welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors for Mardi Gras.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024
There are family-friendly Mardi Gras parades, arts and crafts fairs, food and music festivals, and events to celebrate every holiday.
—Kayla Michelle Smith, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024
On March 5, 1984, Ramona, her nine siblings, and her parents went to bed excited about the upcoming Mardi Gras festivities.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Maura Barrett, NBC News, 8 Apr. 2024
Nowadays, Moon Pies are tossed from floats during Mardi Gras.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
The attraction will culminate in a giant Mardi Gras musical celebration.
—Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Major Events Universal Orlando puts on three major annual events each year: Universal Mardi Gras, Halloween Horror Nights, and Holidays at Universal Orlando.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2024
Residents unwind at its famed, raucous take on Mardi Gras and annual Elvis festival, and relish dirt-track and dragon boat racing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Kirkpatrick's comments come just weeks after New Orleans, considered one of America's top tourist and party cities, welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors for Mardi Gras.
—Emma Colton, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024
There are family-friendly Mardi Gras parades, arts and crafts fairs, food and music festivals, and events to celebrate every holiday.
—Kayla Michelle Smith, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024
On March 5, 1984, Ramona, her nine siblings, and her parents went to bed excited about the upcoming Mardi Gras festivities.
—Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Mardi Gras.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Mardi Gras
Cite this Entry
“Mardi Gras.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mardi%20Gras. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Mardi Gras
noun
Mar·di Gras
ˈmärd-ē-ˌgrä
: the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday often observed with parades and merrymaking
Etymology
French, literally "fat Tuesday"
Word Origin
The Christian period of fasting known as Lent begins every year on Ash Wednesday. The day before Lent begins is a time of celebration and feasting in many places. One of the original reasons for such feasting was probably to use up the last supplies of foods, such as meat and fat, which were not eaten during Lent. The eating of such foods may be why the day became known in France as Mardi Gras, which means "fat Tuesday." It is also possible that the name comes from a former custom of parading a fattened ox through Paris on this day.
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