Gil ‧ bert and Sul ‧ li ‧ van /ˌɡɪlbət ənd ˈsʌləv ə n $ -bərt-/ BrE AmE
two British men, W.S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who wrote many humorous ↑ operetta s (=plays with songs) from 1871 to 1896. Gilbert wrote the words and Sullivan wrote the music. Their operettas, which include The ↑ Mikado (1885) and The ↑ Pirates of Penzance (1879), made fun of politicians and other well-known people of the time, and they are often performed now by people who are not professional singers or actors.