karaoke

noun

kar·​a·​o·​ke ˌker-ē-ˈō-kē How to pronounce karaoke (audio)
ˌka-rē-,
also
kə-ˈrō-kē How to pronounce karaoke (audio) ˌkä-rä-ˈō-(ˌ)kā How to pronounce karaoke (audio)
: a device that plays instrumental accompaniments for a selection of songs to which the user sings along and that records the user's singing with the music
a karaoke machine
also : a form of entertainment involving the use of such a device (as in a bar)

Examples of karaoke in a Sentence

That bar has karaoke on Saturday night.
Recent Examples on the Web Subsequent developments, including the introduction of video karaoke and networked karaoke systems, helped the phenomenon spread across Asia and the world in the following decades. Oscar Holland, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 The Royal Promenade, with karaoke and a piano bar, could get crowded and noisy at peak times. Ceylan Yeğinsu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 In May 2022, as the pandemic started to loosen its grip, Reddit spent millions to host more than 1,000 of its employees in New York City for two days of hot dogs, pizza, drinking, concerts, and karaoke. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Bowling and karaoke are available for booking, as well as free games like cornhole, darts and board games. The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024 Throughout the year, the Belles perform in Beaufort’s holiday parades and organize activities among themselves, like going to the movies, playing dominoes and singing karaoke. Colbi Edmonds Madeline Gray, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024 Jamie Eich, 58, opened the first iteration of Thai Angel, named after her daughter, in 1995 as a karaoke bar in Hollywood. Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 At one event at River Bottom Winery -- a cozy spot tucked in the hills of Roland -- participants sang Swift's songs on karaoke, held a Swift lookalike contest, and took part in a trivia contest focused on the singer-songwriter. Parker Mancino, arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2024 Late last year, Bon Jovi and his band filmed a music video for a new Christmas song at popular karaoke dive Santa’s Pub south of downtown. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'karaoke.' 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

Japanese, from kara empty + ōke, short for ōkesutora orchestra

First Known Use

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of karaoke was in 1977

Dictionary Entries Near karaoke

Cite this Entry

“Karaoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/karaoke. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

karaoke

noun
kar·​a·​o·​ke ˌkar-ē-ˌō-kē How to pronounce karaoke (audio) kə-ˈrō-kē How to pronounce karaoke (audio)
: a device that plays music to which the user sings along and that records the user's singing with the music

More from Merriam-Webster on karaoke

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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