guitar

noun

gui·​tar gə-ˈtär 

gi-

especially Southern and Midland US also ˈgi-ˌtär

: a flat-bodied stringed instrument with a long fretted neck and usually six strings played with a pick or with the fingers

guitarist

gə-ˈtär-ist 

gi-

noun

Illustration of guitar

• 1 electric
• 2 acoustic

Examples of guitar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The room is overtaken with projections, scenes of bustling New York traffic paired with bachelor-pad-like guitar riffs. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Like an origami box, each fold reveals another treasure, from Mick Ronson’s moonshot guitar to the feel-good chorus. — Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026

The July 6 show in Shakopee marked the first time that Paterson had to divide up the guitar work with another player. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026

For example, neutron stars and black holes register as piano notes, while Hubble optical imagery becomes the gentle strum of an acoustic guitar. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

French guitare, from Spanish guitarra, from Arabic qītār, from Greek kithara cithara

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing guitar

• air guitar
• bass guitar
• bottleneck guitar
• Hawaiian guitar
• lap steel guitar
• pedal steel guitar
• resonator guitar
• resophonic guitar
• steel guitar

Rhymes for guitar

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• alvar
• bazaar
• bizarre
• boxcar
• boyar
• bulbar
• cachar
• cigar

Kids Definition

guitar

noun

gui·​tar gə-ˈtär 

: a stringed instrument with a flat body, a long neck with frets, and usually six strings that are played with the fingers or with a pick

guitarist

-əst 

noun

Etymology

from French guitare "guitar," derived from Arabic qītār (same meaning)