ukulele

noun uku·le·le \ ˌyü-kə-ˈlā-lē , ˌü- \

variants: or less commonly ukelele

|Updated on: 8 Jul 2018

Definition of ukulele

: a small guitar of Portuguese origin popularized in Hawaii in the 1880s and strung typically with four strings

See ukulele defined for English-language learners

See ukulele defined for kids

Recent Examples of ukulele from the Web

The actors double as the band, playing piano, violin, melodica, a small trap drum, cymbals, washboard, trombone and a slew of kazoos and ukuleles.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "A Coarse, Cacophonous, Compelling 'Cabaret' In New Haven," 26 June 2018
On YouTube, the clip of 12-year-old Grace belting away while playing her signature ukulele has earned more than 83 million views.

— rubi jones, Teen Vogue, "Grace VanderWaal Creates the Soundtrack to Her Life," 19 June 2018
And don’t aggravate the artist’s hyperacusis, a hearing disorder in which ordinary sounds can be painful, and the reason that Merritt switched from guitar to ukulele and Gonson from drums to piano.

— john seabrook, The New Yorker, "Stephin Merritt Unpacks His Peripatetic Past," 11 June 2018
The liquidation sale started on Black Friday 2017 and has depleted the store of its ukuleles and mandolins and many of its guitars.

— gavin edwards, charlotteobserver, "Pianos, mules, guitar strings: A 106-year-old family business is bidding it all goodbye," 8 June 2018
Tonight, more than 9,000 people will fill Red Rocks Amphitheatre outside Denver to listen to Vance Joy, an Australian singer-songwriter with a name like a game-show host and an abiding love for ukulele.

— peter rubin, WIRED, "With Venues, Oculus and Facebook Push Social VR Into New Territory," 30 May 2018
So for now, there’s just one Australian singer and his ukulele.

— peter rubin, WIRED, "With Venues, Oculus and Facebook Push Social VR Into New Territory," 30 May 2018
Victor & Penny Victor & Penny, The guitar-ukulele (and husband-wife) duo of Jeff Freling and Erin McGrane have been invited to perform in Gothenburg, Sweden, as part of the Nordic ExChange.

— timothy finn, kansascity, "Tech N9ne, Samantha Fish and other KC artists making news in the music world | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
Komsthoeft — who plays piano, guitar, ukulele and some harmonica — also has sung in a choir at Lyons for the last two school years.

— rich mayor, chicagotribune.com, "Center stage: Rhyan Komsthoeft stars as singer, songwriter, water polo player," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ukulele.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of ukulele

Origin and Etymology of ukulele

Hawaiian ʽukulele, from ʽuku flea + lele jumping

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1896

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

UKULELE Defined for English Language Learners

ukulele

noun

Definition of ukulele for English Language Learners

: a musical instrument that is like a small guitar with four strings

UKULELE Defined for Kids

ukulele

noun uku·le·le \ ˌyü-kə-ˈlā-lē \

Definition of ukulele for Students

: a musical instrument like a small guitar with four strings

History for ukulele

In the Hawaiian language ʽukulele means literally “jumping flea,” a creature with little resemblance to a small guitar. It is likely that this peculiar name became attached to the instrument in a roundabout way. Edward Purvis, a former British army officer living at the court of the Hawaiian king, is said to have been given the nickname ʽukulele because he was a small, lively man. In 1879 Portuguese immigrants to Hawaii brought with them a small four-stringed guitar called a machete. Purvis was taken with the instrument and soon learned to play it. When the machete became a Hawaiian favorite, it took on Purvis's nickname, ʽukulele, and its Portuguese name was soon forgotten.