: 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
Thompson’s tenor sax stepped up to the forefront, honking and grooving through this first-tier ska classic, which was originally written and recorded by legendary Jamaican artist Prince Buster in the ’60s and then propelled to a whole new generation of listeners by the Madness cover from 1979.
—
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
The book explores the trajectory of punk and ska from their humble beginnings to their peak popularity years, where their cultural impact could be felt in music around the world.
—Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
What ska had imbibed from American jazz and R&B was a musical ESP about where to put the emphasis and where to leave some space.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
In short, Carlos Malcolm is the first arranger to write formal music scores of Jamaican ska music.
—Heather Augustyn, SPIN, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ska
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 16 May 2025
The book explores the trajectory of punk and ska from their humble beginnings to their peak popularity years, where their cultural impact could be felt in music around the world.
—Nate Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
What ska had imbibed from American jazz and R&B was a musical ESP about where to put the emphasis and where to leave some space.
—Ian Penman, Harper's Magazine, 19 Feb. 2025
In short, Carlos Malcolm is the first arranger to write formal music scores of Jamaican ska music.
—Heather Augustyn, SPIN, 21 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ska
Cite this Entry
“Ska.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ska. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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"
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share