hula

American  

[hoo-luh] / ˈhu lə /

noun

1. a sinuous Hawaiian dance with intricate arm movements that tell a story in pantomime, usually danced to rhythmic drumming and accompanied by chanting.

---

hula British  

/ ˈhuːlə /

noun

1. a Hawaiian dance performed by a woman

---

Etymology

Origin of hula

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1815–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hula

At a recent Hawaiian-themed wedding in Sausalito, Calif., most guests arrived in Hawaiian shirts and hula skirts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

I made a long-haired wig and a hula skirt out of sausages.

From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2024

Family, activists and observers displayed a five-foot-long hula hoe, a type of gardening tool that has a metal D-shaped fixture on the end for digging into dirt, that Gainer held when he was shot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2024

He reveals that he sprained it while hula hooping and he even shows photos.

From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023

I couldn't see her face because her head was hanging down on her chest and her stiff blonde hair fell down from its dark roots like a hula fringe.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath