juke
1 Americanverb (used with object)
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of juke1
Spelling variant of jouk
Origin of juke2
By shortening
Explanation
Use the word juke when you talk about a little roadside bar where you can dance to jukebox music or a live band. Another word for a juke is a "roadhouse." If you visit a rowdy rural bar with dancing and beer, you can call it a juke. Many country and blues bands got their start playing at jukes in the south, although some jukes offer jukeboxes as their only music. You can also call it a "juke joint." The word juke comes from the Southern United States Creole known as Gullah — in which juke or joog means "wicked" or "disorderly."
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.
Walking through the exhibition, specially-programmed headsets react to the environment - creating a personalised DJ Mix as the music evolves from juke joints and jazz clubs to reggae nights, carnival and pirate radio.
From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026
Jack O’Connell, Lola Kirke and Peter Dreimanis — the actors who terrorized the juke joint as bloodthirsty vampires in the movie — also snaked their way onto the stage.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026
They appeared on panels moderated by celebrity boosters such as Austin Butler and Denzel Washington, and mingled at a Los Angeles supper club that got turned into the juke joint from the movie.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
Lindo is up for best supporting actor at the Oscars this month for his role in “Sinners” as Delta Slim, a blues musician who helps fight a vampire horde in a Mississippi juke joint.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026
The juke box was dinning and it was like looking into the depths of a murky cave.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
