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

As Vedder handed her the guitar, Bella immediately lit up with excitement, jumping for joy as the realization set in. — Christina Cardona, USA Today, 30 June 2026

Right on the Las Vegas strip, a dark hotel ballroom awash in magenta light is filled with the sound of a live electric guitar as models dressed in black strut up and down a catwalk, flaunting fabulous hair. — Celia Shatzman, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

The ceremony featured remarks from West Valley-Mission College District Chancellor Brad Davis, CAA Executive Director Nicole Kim and student Sam Headley, along with performances from CAA’s cheer squad, guitar class and hip hop dance crew. — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 30 June 2026

The track plays out over unconventional percussion and guitars that call back to 1990s post-grunge, with Mateyunas as the centerpiece. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 June 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)