Illustration of hurdy-gurdy
- hurdy-gurdy 1
hurdy-gurdy
noun
hur·dy-gur·dy
ˌhər-dē-ˈgər-dē 
ˈhər-dē-ˌgər-
plural hurdy-gurdies
1
: a stringed instrument in which sound is produced by the friction of a rosined wheel turned by a crank against the strings and the pitches are varied by keys
2
: any of various mechanical musical instruments (such as the barrel organ)
Examples of hurdy-gurdy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But Weitz’s scratches of synth and interjections of hurdy-gurdy—the instrument at the heart of his solo debut—complicate the surface-level beauty.
—
Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026
Max Richter also got a nomination for his score, which samples old-fashioned instruments like the viol and hurdy-gurdy.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
Under her direction, the show featured a pit band of musicians who played Elizabethan instruments like the shawm, sackbut, theorbo, hurdy-gurdy, cittern, tabor and rauschpfeife.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
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Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 12 May 2026
Max Richter also got a nomination for his score, which samples old-fashioned instruments like the viol and hurdy-gurdy.
—Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 22 Jan. 2026
Under her direction, the show featured a pit band of musicians who played Elizabethan instruments like the shawm, sackbut, theorbo, hurdy-gurdy, cittern, tabor and rauschpfeife.
—Alex Traub, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hurdy-gurdy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurdy-gurdy. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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