jukebox

noun

juke·​box ˈjük-ˌbäks How to pronounce jukebox (audio)
: a coin-operated phonograph or compact-disc player that automatically plays recordings selected from its list
Cable TV … is now bringing you an all-music-video network that is the TV equivalent of a barroom jukebox.Peter Ainslie
broadly : any automatic music player that plays selections from a publicly available list

Examples of jukebox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Here the sounds of Bobby Womack, B.B. King, or Chuck Berry play from a jukebox while a bartender pours liquor into a plastic cup or rocks glass with abandon. Korsha Wilson, Bon Appétit, 11 Mar. 2024 The space was roomy and almost empty, a thick carpet absorbing some of the music from a jukebox. Simon Parkin, The New Yorker, 18 Feb. 2024 The jukebox on the table is not included in the sale. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 Gracie's Tax Bar: This former tax office is now a bar with a jukebox and board games that serves up finger foods and sandwiches. The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024 The crowd on a Saturday night is a mixture of friends, a smattering of solo drinkers and a young couple on a date, mulling whether to head to the jukebox or dartboard. Charlotte Lytton, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024 Club titan Grace Jones, dancehall legend Sister Nancy, and fellow thespian Nia Jones make cameos, while the music shape-shifts through reggae, amapiano, and the sorts of rhythms that dominated jukeboxes in the early rock era. Jason Lamphier, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 In McMurtry’s depictions of small-town America in the fifties, there’s little to be nostalgic for, apart from the jukeboxes—life is cramped and strangled, suffused with boredom that threatens to tip into menace. Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 Sadie Gertrude Stern was born on Oct. 31, 1934, in Elizabeth, N.J., the youngest of three children of David Stern, a jukebox and vending machine distributor, and Dora (Mendelson) Stern, a skilled cook who would later prepare feasts for the cast and crew of her daughter’s productions. Alex Williams, New York Times, 23 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jukebox.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from dialect jukehouse brothel, from juke to have sexual intercourse with, of Atlantic Creole origin; akin to Jamaican English juk to poke, stab, Krio chuk

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jukebox was in 1939

Dictionary Entries Near jukebox

Cite this Entry

“Jukebox.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jukebox. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jukebox

noun
juke·​box ˈjük-ˌbäks How to pronounce jukebox (audio)
: a coin-operated phonograph or compact-disc player that automatically plays recordings selected from its list

More from Merriam-Webster on jukebox

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!