hula

American

[hoo-luh] / ˈhu lə /

noun

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

a Hawaiian dance performed by a woman

"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 hula

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1815–25

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.

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

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2024

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

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

“I say, ‘Maybe there’s hula dancers in here.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2023

It was a tribute to how she adored her time in Hawaii during her husband’s Navy years and how she loved learning to hula dance while there; her Secret Service code name was “Dancer.”

From Seattle Times • Dec. 1, 2023

“Even the graphs! The questions were all about people buying and selling everything from gasoline to hula hoops, but in my own mind, I put it in terms of tickets.”

From "Small Steps" by Louis Sachar

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