mah-jongg

noun

ˌmä-ˈzhäŋ How to pronounce mah-jongg (audio) -ˈjäŋ How to pronounce mah-jongg (audio)
-ˈzhȯŋ,
-ˈjȯŋ,
ˈmä-ˌzhäŋ,
-ˌjäŋ,
-ˌzhȯŋ,
-ˌjȯŋ
variants or mahjong
: a game of Chinese origin usually played by four persons with 144 tiles that are drawn and discarded until one player secures a winning hand

Examples of mah-jongg in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Take, for example, that searing mah-jongg showdown. Pia Ceres, WIRED, 20 Aug. 2018 Po-Ling Ng, Open Door’s director, says older members are likely to enjoy Chinese cultural pursuits, including games like mah-jongg. Ashley Milne-Tyte, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2024 Before robbing the mah-jongg parlor, Dorsett had met earlier in the day with his probation officer, according to Kenny. Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 3 Aug. 2024 There is line dancing on Tuesday evenings, a film and book club, and mah-jongg games twice a month. Lori Rozsa, Washington Post, 8 July 2024 Advertisement In another corner, a mah-jongg table awaits its next game surrounded by Poltrona Frau’s two-tone leather armchairs. Gina Mayfield, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023 Since fully retiring a year ago, Johnny finds joy in family mah-jongg sessions on Saturday afternoons, regular qigong classes at a park, gardening in the backyard and learning how to cook Chinese food from Yvonne and myriad YouTube videos. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023 Their mah-jongg parties, dubbed East Never Loses, are avant-garde scenes for Angelenos eager to embrace a game embedded in their heritage. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023 In another corner, a mah-jongg table awaits its next game surrounded by Poltrona Frau’s two-tone leather armchairs. Gina Mayfield, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023

Word History

Etymology

from Mah-Jongg, a trademark

First Known Use

1920, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mah-jongg was in 1920

Dictionary Entries Near mah-jongg

Cite this Entry

“Mah-jongg.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mah-jongg. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on mah-jongg

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!