guitar

American  

[gi-tahr] / gɪˈtɑr /

noun

guitars plural

1. a stringed musical instrument with a long, fretted neck, a flat, somewhat violinlike body, and typically six strings, which are plucked with the fingers or with a plectrum.

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guitar British  

/ ɡɪˈtɑː /

noun

1. music a plucked stringed instrument originating in Spain, usually having six strings, a flat sounding board with a circular sound hole in the centre, a flat back, and a fretted fingerboard. Range: more than three octaves upwards from E on the first leger line below the bass staff See also electric guitar bass guitar Hawaiian guitar

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guitar Cultural  

1. A stringed musical instrument (see strings) usually played by strumming or plucking. Guitars are widely used in folk music and, often amplified electronically, in country and western music and rock 'n' roll.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• guitarist
  noun
• guitar-like
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• guitars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of guitar

1615–25; < Spanish guitarra < Arabic kītārah ≪ Greek kithára kithara

Explanation

A guitar is a musical instrument with a long neck and strings. When you play the guitar, you press the strings with one hand to make a note, and strum with the other hand (unless, of course, you are playing air guitar). The section of a guitar where your fingers form a note is called the "fingerboard." An acoustic guitar has a hollow body that vibrates with warm sound when you pluck or strum the strings, and an electric guitar is solid and plugs into an amplifier that projects the sound. The word guitar comes from the Spanish guitarra, which has its roots in the Greek kithara, a lyre-like stringed instrument.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guitar guitars

Her day begins at seven in the morning and the next 12 hours are packed with choreography rehearsals, studio recordings, script work, costume fittings and guitar lessons.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

A burnt guitar and effects pedal board were lying on the pavement outside the bar on Monday, with flowers left on a partially melted electric keyboard.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

“Read My Lips,” with contributions from Puerto Rican producer Tainy, has a Latin flavor, with a repeating guitar line winding through the track and guest vocals from Colombian singer Feid.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

He fidgets with a pair of eyeglasses and points a knobby index finger to underscore a point, jiggles his leg restlessly and, at one point, mimes playing guitar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

I strum my guitar and sing Celia Cruz’s “La vida es un carnaval,” and my mom joins in.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

"They had their drums and guitars and stuff on the tarmac to entertain themselves," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

“It’s just that I needed more space. So I made a few guitars that widened the headboard” to give his fingers additional room to work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

I groaned as strumming Spanish guitars played underneath a cheerful introduction welcoming me to the “Jewel of the Missions” — a slogan that boosters coined decades ago.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

The guitars are listed with estimates between £1,000 and £150,000.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

“I guess I’m more into music with, like, singing and guitars and stuff.”

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs