Illustration of ukulele
ukulele
noun
uku·le·le
ˌyü-kə-ˈlā-lē 
ˌü-
variants
or less commonly ukelele
: a small guitar of Portuguese origin popularized in Hawaii in the 1880s and strung typically with four strings
Examples of ukulele in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The family’s belongings were used to craft the space and included wash basins, children’s books and toys, an ukulele, and a Knox The Hatter hat box with a handwritten label indicating that the headpiece inside was for the Kentucky Derby.
—
Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 18 Apr. 2024
Editor’s picks Born Forrest Richard Betts in West Palm Beach, Florida, on December 12, 1943, Betts began playing ukulele around age five, followed by banjo and mandolin.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Like Akaka, Cortez started playing ukulele at 8 and inherited a love of Hawaiian music from his family.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Fret Zealot has lessons for guitar, bass guitar, and ukuleles.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Throughout the homes, there is quintessential island-style decor, like wooden paddles, tiki heads, surfboards, and ukuleles hanging along the walls.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2024
When Roni was about 9 years old, her father built her her first banjo, an instrument about as large as a banjo ukulele, about half the size of a traditional one.
—Bill Friskics-Warren, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
An alternative rocker at heart, Ferreira experiments with his ukulele and synthesizer to create an eclectic collection of bachata, merengue, electronic and folk music.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
To an outsider, the areas of West Maui that escaped the fire’s path remain paradisiacal—a fact that's easily seen while strolling Kaanapali Beach, snorkeling among sea turtles, or listening to a ukulele and slack-key guitar on the sandy terrace at Hulu Grill in Whalers Village.
—Crai S. Bower, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Feb. 2024
Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 18 Apr. 2024
Editor’s picks Born Forrest Richard Betts in West Palm Beach, Florida, on December 12, 1943, Betts began playing ukulele around age five, followed by banjo and mandolin.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Like Akaka, Cortez started playing ukulele at 8 and inherited a love of Hawaiian music from his family.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Fret Zealot has lessons for guitar, bass guitar, and ukuleles.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Jan. 2024
Throughout the homes, there is quintessential island-style decor, like wooden paddles, tiki heads, surfboards, and ukuleles hanging along the walls.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2024
When Roni was about 9 years old, her father built her her first banjo, an instrument about as large as a banjo ukulele, about half the size of a traditional one.
—Bill Friskics-Warren, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
An alternative rocker at heart, Ferreira experiments with his ukulele and synthesizer to create an eclectic collection of bachata, merengue, electronic and folk music.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024
To an outsider, the areas of West Maui that escaped the fire’s path remain paradisiacal—a fact that's easily seen while strolling Kaanapali Beach, snorkeling among sea turtles, or listening to a ukulele and slack-key guitar on the sandy terrace at Hulu Grill in Whalers Village.
—Crai S. Bower, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ukulele.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ukulele.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ukulele. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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