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

Despite being unable to read sheet music, Parton played several instruments including the banjo, harp, piano and saxophone.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

And when I was there, there was someone dressed in old-timey garb playing a banjo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 27, 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

A banjo clock that would never again keep time but had a tiny cupboard where I kept the other trinkets I’d found.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

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

The air all round was intangible, neither here nor there, and there was an unreal noise of banjoes, or suchlike music.

From Women in Love by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence

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

There was fiddles make from gourds and banjoes from sheep hides.

From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume XVI, Texas Narratives, Part 4 by United States. Work Projects Administration

The windows offered an assortment of everything from watches to banjoes and guns but among them I also noticed many carpenter's tools and so forth.

From One Way Out A Middle-class New-Englander Emigrates to America by William Carleton

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

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

After building her reputation in Nashville, 1989 jettisons the banjos in favour of insistent, needling beats and tales of bohemian nightlife.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2023

That was his inspiration for using a brassy WWII-era ensemble, but throwing into it everything from banjos and mandolins to bass saxophone — a big band for the Big Bang.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2022

“Sure, it works for the Amity. But what happens when not everyone wants to strum banjos and grow crops? What happens when someone does something terrible and talking about it can’t solve the problem?”

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

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