ska

noun

ˈskä 

: popular music of Jamaican origin that combines elements of traditional Caribbean rhythms and jazz

Examples of ska in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

An impromptu panel of thousands of judges online watched more than 120 music videos over six rounds of head-to-head musical battles, spanning genres from death metal to ska mexicano. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 28 Sep. 2026

These anti-fascist singalongs slot into a more playful and irreverent tradition, one more in line with the snotty pop-punk and ska bands who railed against GOP war-mongering in the early 2000s. — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026

Just like the band’s original recipe of shoving punk, dub reggae, hip-hop and ska into a blender, the new songs dutifully stick to the formula along with Jakob’s soulful caterwauls that sound scarily similar to his dad. — Deputy Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026

Nothing says summer entertainment like reggae and ska. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of scat entry 3

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ska

noun

ˈskä 

: popular music of Jamaican origin that combines elements of traditional Caribbean rhythms and jazz

Etymology

perhaps an alteration of scat "jazz singing with meaningless syllables"