noun
mule
myool
noun
1
The offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, typically sterile and known for being sure-footed and stubborn.
"The farmer used a mule to carry supplies up the mountain trail."
"Mules are prized for being tougher and more surefooted than horses."
2
A very stubborn person.
"He's as stubborn as a mule about changing his routine."
3
Someone paid to smuggle drugs, often by carrying them across a border.
"She was caught acting as a mule for a drug cartel."
4
A backless shoe or slipper that covers the front of the foot but leaves the heel exposed.
"She slipped on a pair of leather mules before heading out."
How to Use Mule
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA horse-donkey hybrid animal, a stubborn person, a drug smuggler, or a backless shoe — several unrelated senses share this one word.
Common pairings
stubborn as a mule
drug mule
Word Forms
muled past tense, mules plural, mules plural, Mules plural, mules singular
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Etymology
From Latin mulus, via Old English mul and Anglo-Norman mule.