ukulele

or u·ke·le·le

[ yoo-kuh-ley-lee; Hawaiian oo-koo-ley-ley ]

noun

1. a small, guitarlike musical instrument associated chiefly with Hawaiian music.

ukulele

/ ˌjuːkəˈleɪlɪ /

noun

1. a small four-stringed guitar, esp of Hawaii

ukulele

1. A small guitar , developed in Hawaii , with four strings.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ukulele¹

1895–1900, Americanism; < Hawaiian ʿukulele leaping flea ( ʿuku flea + lele to jump, leap), a nickname given to British army officer Edward Purvis (who popularized the instrument at the court of King Kalakaua), in reference to his lively playing style

Word History and Origins

Origin of ukulele¹

C19: from Hawaiian, literally: jumping flea, from `uku flea + lele jumping

Example Sentences

We had our daughter start ukulele this year because classes were held outdoors with each kid confined inside hula-hoops spaced six feet apart.

From Washington Post

Also, hiking isn’t as fun when you’re carrying 25 pounds of equipment, a sword, and a ukulele.

From Outside Online

To their credit, I don’t think any of them expected to see a man with a ukulele and a sword hiking alongside them that Sunday.

From Outside Online

So she added unrelated goals — practice her ukulele, decorate her crutches and paint a jewelry tray.

From Washington Post

Duckworth wrote 15-page letters to friends and practiced her ukulele.

From Time

Trainor brought along a ukulele to her audition and blew him away.

From The Daily Beast

There are few things cuter than a little kid killing it on the ukulele.

From The Daily Beast

Bernice saw that Warren's eyes had left a ukulele he had been tinkering with and were fixed on her questioningly.

From Project Gutenberg

Somebody began to play a ukulele, and gay voices took up the tune.

From Project Gutenberg

But Fulaanu lounged with her ukulele, surrounded by amorous sailors who gazed longingly into her eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

Returning home for a canned luncheon she discovered Gaylord humming a love song and strumming on his ukulele.

From Project Gutenberg

From within, through the open window, came the tinkling of Tom's ukulele and the rollicking lilt of his voice in an Hawaiian hula.

From Project Gutenberg