vuvuzela

American

[voo-voo-zel-uh] / ˌvu vuˈzɛl ə /

noun

South African. a long, plastic horn that makes a loud, monotone sound, typically blown by South African fans at soccer matches.

vuvuzela British

/ ˌvuːvuːˈzɛlə /

noun

an elongated plastic instrument that football fans blow to make a loud noise similar to the trumpeting of an elephant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of vuvuzela

Probably from Zulu vuvu

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

vuvuzela

On Monday afternoon, sporadic vuvuzela toots and car horns could still be heard downtown, although unclear whether a holdover from the prior night's celebrations or in anticipation of the team's forthcoming arrival.

From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 2026

He saluted his fans who excitedly blew their vuvuzela horns.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2024

Still, among her prized possessions is a vuvuzela from South Africa 2010, little towels from Japan 2002, and bracelets from Russia 2018.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

Come for the glib self-owns, the vuvuzela as punctuation, the hotel suite toga parties.

From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2020

Ten years ago: Over the din of vuvuzela horns in Johannesburg, South Africa, Spain won soccer’s World Cup after an exhausting 1-0 victory in extra time over the Netherlands.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2020

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023