1 lollapalooza | Definition of lollapalooza
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lollapalooza

noun
lol·​la·​pa·​loo·​za | \ ËŒlä-lÉ™-pÉ™-ˈlü-zÉ™ How to pronounce lollapalooza (audio) \

Definition of lollapalooza

: one that is extraordinarily impressive also : an outstanding example
Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about lollapalooza

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Did You Know?

Some readers may recognize lollapalooza as the name of an American music festival, now held annually in Chicago. Actually, the word lollapalooza has been around since at least the 1890s, though etymologists aren't sure where it comes from. Occasionally, it has been used as a gambling term for a made-up hand used to trick an inexperienced player-but primarily the term is used in a way very similar to humdinger and doozy. It is spelled in a number of ways. Lallapalooza, lalapalooza, and lollapaloosa are among the variants, and in the past it was sometimes lalapaloozer. Pulitzer prize-winning cartoonist Rube Goldberg may have contributed to the popularity of this term with "Lala Palooza," one of his cartoon characters from the 1930s.

Examples of lollapalooza in a Sentence

a huge birthday bash that promises to be a lollapalooza of a party

Recent Examples on the Web

 Worries about Trump’s button finger were seeping out of Washington even before the book lollapalooza. — Trudy Rubin, Philly.com, "Button Man vs. Rocket Man could lead to nuclear war | Trudy Rubin," 5 Jan. 2018 After a lollapalooza trial, Marshall was convicted of larceny in 2009 and spent a few months in prison before his death in 2014. — Alessandra Stanley, New York Times, "Bunny Mellon Had Peerless Taste and a Penchant for Scandal," 6 Oct. 2017

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

First Known Use of lollapalooza

1896, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for lollapalooza

origin unknown

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More from Merriam-Webster on lollapalooza

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lollapalooza

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