lanai

noun

la·​nai lə-ˈnī How to pronounce lanai (audio)
lä-
plural lanais
: a roofed porch : veranda
… a covered porch is called a "lanai" in Hawaii …Sanette Tanaka
… Honolulu landscape architect James C. Hubbard used four L-shaped extensions to broaden an entry lanai.Sunset
… my feelings are just as ambivalent and I sit on the front lanai of my rented bungalow in Palm Springs, California …Douglas Coupland

Examples of lanai in a Sentence

a low-slung Hawaiian beach house with an open-sided lanai to catch the tropical breezes
Recent Examples on the Web North Fort Myers resident Scott Fincher was sitting on the lanai of his Pine Lakes community home with his family, waiting for Milton. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024 At a home in Wellington, a resident explains hearing a tornado siren go off, then rip through her neighborhood, destroying her lanai and flooding her pool with debris including tree limbs and portions of the home. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024 Bordering the great room, a wrap-around lanai overlooks the ocean and mountains, the chirps and clicks of myna birds all around. R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 16 Aug. 2024 Designs for the village include 16 pods, each with a private kitchen and bath, surrounding a community center with a large lanai, or open-sided veranda, intended to reflect the traditional Hawaiian way of life. Steve Patterson, NBC News, 9 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lanai 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lanai.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian lānai

First Known Use

1823, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lanai was in 1823

Dictionary Entries Near lanai

Cite this Entry

“Lanai.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lanai. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Geographical Definition

Lanai

geographical name

La·​nai lə-ˈnī How to pronounce Lanai (audio)
lä-
variants or Lana'i
island of Hawaii west of Maui and south of Molokai area 141 square miles (367 square kilometers)

More from Merriam-Webster on lanai

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