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

Throughout the venue, there is more memorabilia, such as Tubb’s guitars, cowboy boots from the 1940s and a revolver Tubb used as a prop when filming the western The Fighting Buckaroo. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025

The band features Mike Pettry (keyboards/guitar), Jared Decker (percussion) and Joseph Wallace (bass). —Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025

Parkening is ranked as one of the world’s preeminent virtuosos of the classical guitar. —News Release, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025

Also largely unchanged since Presley's childhood is Tupelo Hardware (founded in 1926), where Elvis received his first guitar, a Kay acoustic, on his 11th birthday. —John Beifuss, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025

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

Rhymes for guitar

• adar
• afar
• ajar
• alar
• ansar
• 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)