: 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
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The Boston ska punk band Big D and the Kids Table has been around for 30 years but is still actively playing and recording. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2026 In the early 1960s, Jamaica was gaining its independence from Britain and the early sounds of reggae — first called ska and rocksteady — were catching on. Hillel Italie, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025 Manheim speaks music fluently, having grown up in New York immersed in the ska scene of the 1990s. Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025 However, Babcock said Rosenstock doesn’t remember meeting him, despite having met 20 years ago when Babcock’s high school ska band opened for him. Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 26 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ska

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of scat entry 3

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ska was in 1963

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Cite this Entry

“Ska.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ska. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

ska

noun
: 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"

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