jukebox

American  

[jook-boks] / ˈdʒukˌbɒks /

noun

jukeboxes plural

1. a coin-operated phonograph, typically in a gaudy, illuminated cabinet, having a variety of records that can be selected by push button.

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jukebox British  

/ ˈdʒuːkˌbɒks /

noun

1. a coin-operated machine, usually found in pubs, clubs, etc, that contains records, CDs, or videos, which are played when selected by a customer

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• jukeboxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of jukebox

1915–20; juke ² ( joint ) + box ¹

Explanation

A jukebox is a machine that plays a song when you insert money. Jukeboxes are pretty rare these days, but you might come across one at, say, an old-fashioned diner. In the 1930s, a juke was a small restaurant where people could eat, drink, and dance. "Juking" meant dancing and getting rowdy. When a music vending machine came along, people called it a jukebox because they could crank up the music and really let loose. Originally, jukeboxes were large, cabinet-style devices that played vinyl records; you could drop in a dime or a quarter and choose your favorite song. These days, jukeboxes have gone digital.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

jukebox jukeboxes

As Ahmed demonstrates, the film’s documentary style both reimagined the jukebox musical and captured the frenzy of mid-1960s filmmaking.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

“Hell’s Kitchen,” a New York story of a wunderkind discovering her gift, helped me get over my allergy to the jukebox genre.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2026

Lunch finished, we settle next to a Wurlitzer jukebox in the corner of the room.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

Yet if “Born to Run” unexpectedly animates the pub jukebox, long dormant toes might start tapping, if only for a few wistful moments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

At IHOP, we eat way too many pancakes and dance to songs on the jukebox.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

In the 1980s, jukeboxes with 45s gave way to CD jukeboxes, then a generation later, to streaming ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Today we all walk around with the equivalent of portable jukeboxes in our hands, able to access virtually every song known to man for ourselves and our children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2025

I find that jukeboxes — especially biographical ones, like “Motown” and “MJ” — almost inevitably add to the ordinary difficulties of musical construction with difficulties unique to their provenance.

From New York Times ● Nov. 19, 2023

We’re talking about a furor unlike anything we’d seen since men with sledgehammers were smashing jukeboxes, trying to kill rock ’n’ roll in the 1950s.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2022

Julie listened, her head swimming in confusion...Daniel, marriage, parkas, tourists, jukeboxes, pinball machines...divorce.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George