guitar

American  

[gi-tahr] / gɪˈtɑr /

noun

• guitars
  plural

1. a stringed musical instrument with a long, fretted neck, a flat, somewhat violinlike body, and typically six strings, which are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum.

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guitar British  

/ ɡɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. music a plucked stringed instrument originating in Spain, usually having six strings, a flat sounding board with a circular sound hole in the centre, a flat back, and a fretted fingerboard. Range: more than three octaves upwards from E on the first leger line below the bass staff See also electric guitar bass guitar Hawaiian guitar

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guitar Cultural  

1. A stringed musical instrument (see strings) usually played by strumming or plucking. Guitars are widely used in folk music and, often amplified electronically, in country and western music and rock 'n' roll.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• guitarist
  noun
• guitar-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guitars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guitar

1615–25; < Spanish guitarra < Arabic kītārah ≪ Greek kithára kithara

Explanation

A guitar is a musical instrument with a long neck and strings. When you play the guitar, you press the strings with one hand to make a note, and strum with the other hand (unless, of course, you are playing air guitar). The section of a guitar where your fingers form a note is called the "fingerboard." An acoustic guitar has a hollow body that vibrates with warm sound when you pluck or strum the strings, and an electric guitar is solid and plugs into an amplifier that projects the sound. The word guitar comes from the Spanish guitarra, which has its roots in the Greek kithara, a lyre-like stringed instrument.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guitar guitars

It was bought for him in 1983 by Sire Records founder Seymour Stein after Marr joked that The Smiths would sign to the label if he bought him a new guitar.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

He studies music education and plays guitar in his church’s praise band.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

So it was fair to wonder if simple music performed on guitar came closest to representing his inner life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

As well as This Charming Man, the guitar was used by Marr to write The Smiths hit What Difference Does It Make and is expected to sell for up to £80,000.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

He was joined by another man with a Portuguese guitar.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

The sale also saw 100% of the hammer price of 31 lots, which included 10 guitars, donated to two charities: The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and The National Autistic Society.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

“It has none of those elements one sees so often: festivals of wrought iron, little Juliet balconies, guitars strumming in every corner,” he recalled in his 1998 interview.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

When AFP visited Shenqu in July, rows upon rows of finished guitars sat neatly on racks, awaiting final tuning checks before shipment.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

With its blend of serrated alt-rock guitars and sleek machine rhythms, Garbage always sounded a little ahead of its time when the band broke out in the post-grunge mid-’90s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Then the guitars came back in, and they had to really show off.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel