banjo

American  

[ban-joh] / ˈbæn dʒoʊ /

noun

• banjos,
  plural
• banjoes
  plural

1. a musical instrument of the guitar family, having a circular body covered in front with tightly stretched parchment and played with the fingers or a plectrum.

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banjo British  

/ ˈbændʒəʊ /

noun

1. a stringed musical instrument with a long neck (usually fretted) and a circular drumlike body overlaid with parchment, plucked with the fingers or a plectrum

2. slang any banjo-shaped object, esp a frying pan

3. slang a long-handled shovel with a wide blade

4. (modifier) banjo-shaped

   a banjo clock

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banjo Cultural  

1. A stringed musical instrument, played by plucking (see strings). The banjo has a percussive sound and is much used in folk music and bluegrass music.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• banjoist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• banjoes
  plural
• banjos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of banjo

First recorded in 1730–40; compare Jamaican English banja, bonjour, bangil, Brazilian Portuguese banza; probably of African origin; compare Kimbundu mbanza a plucked string instrument

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Explanation

A banjo is a musical stringed instrument with a round body and a neck. Bluegrass bands almost always include at least one banjo. A banjo can be played by strumming it like a guitar, or by plucking or picking the strings. Banjos can have four, five, or six strings, and their origins go back to African instruments, whose designs influenced African slaves in Colonial America to create the first banjos. The word banjo was originally used in 18th century America, from the Bantu mbanza, a banjo-like stringed instrument.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

banjo banjoes banjos

Also, let’s shout out the perfect banjo intro courtesy of keyboard player Vijay Tellis-Nayak.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

"Of all the corners of the universe / We wound up hand in hand," he sings over a twangy banjo.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

And she was adventurous enough to employ down-home lead acoustic guitar, banjo and jug-band backing on several cuts when very few associated with jazz would go there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

But then we see him at the top of the cliff, strumming the banjo that Maude gave him, choosing to live, although he’d just lost what led him to come to the conclusion.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2026

The line was taut as a banjo string, and the merest tug would snap it on and blind the shivering quarry in a blaze of light.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

The moon had risen higher, and floating in the Sound was a triangle of silver scales, trembling a little to the stiff, tinny drip of the banjoes on the lawn.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dar wus a heap o' dancin' ter de music of banjoes an' han' slappin'.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves, North Carolina Narratives, Part 2 by Work Projects Administration

He waved one leg in time to the hammered refrain, and the banjoes grew louder.

From Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling

His love of music was evinced by the number of violins, banjoes, guitars, and other musical instruments that adorned his drawing-room.

From A Book of Remarkable Criminals by Henry Brodribb Irving

The banjoes was made of round pieces of wood, civered with sheepskin and strung with catgut strings.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Texas Narratives, Part 1 by Work Projects Administration

Those with resources and a parlor might have a piano, while those who had less made do with fiddles and banjos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Their songs weave in Irish lilting, set against a lively mix of drums, fiddles, flutes, harps, banjos, cello and concertina - skills honed over years of playing house parties, pub céilís and traditional festivals.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

The song builds and builds with an electric guitar that matches the singer's mezzo-soprano and four-octave vocals that merge into the heavy country production backed by drums and banjos.

From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2024

In the antebellum era, enslaved Africans often gathered there to play music and dance, using whatever instruments they had — bamboula drums, horns, bells, banjos — and carrying their cultural traditions forward.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2023

Locked glass display cases held rings and necklaces and brooches, and a few guitars and banjos hung on the pine-board-paneled walls to diversify the merchandise.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

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