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

Writing a book was on my bucket list, along with learning guitar and Spanish, both of which have lagged far behind. —Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

The acoustic guitar plays through naturally, while the various other instrumentation rings out subtly and cleanly. —Mark Knapp, PCMAG, 5 June 2024

Pepper-ish splendor: orchestral strings, psychedelic guitar, Dixieland brass, harp, harpsichord, flutes. —Will Hermes, New York Times, 4 June 2024

Scott Kildall · Infrared Reflections: Joshua Tree — Track #1 Another sounds more like haunting electric guitars, reverberating in a cathedral. —Christopher Intagliata, NPR, 3 June 2024

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

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)