lanai
noun
a veranda, especially a fully furnished one used as a living room.
Trivia Time
Before the 1800s, what type of structure in Hawaiian homes was called a lanai?
lanai
1 American
[lah-nah-ee, luh-nahy]
/ lɑˈnɑ i, ləˈnaɪ /
noun
Hawaiian.
-
lanais
plural
Lanai
2
American
[lah-nah-ee, luh-nahy]
/ lɑˈnɑ i, ləˈnaɪ /
Or
Lana'i
noun
Lanai
1
British
/ ləˈnaɪ, lɑːˈnɑːɪ /
noun
lanai
2
British
/ lɑːˈnɑːɪ, ləˈnaɪ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of lanai
First recorded in 1865–70; from Hawaiian lānai ”roofed structure with open sides, porch”
Explanation
If you're sitting on a covered veranda or porch that's attached to a house — especially if you happen to be in Hawaii — you're lucky enough to be lounging on a lanai. A lanai is a very common element in Hawaiian homes and buildings; in fact, many hotels and restaurants have more than one lanai. The original purpose of a lanai, which is simply an open-sided veranda with a roof, was to provide a cool spot for sitting and enjoying a shady breeze. Modern Hawaiian buildings sometimes have "enclosed lanais," which are glass-walled, air conditioned porches. As a proper noun, Lanai is the sixth-largest Hawaiian island.
Vocabulary lists containing lanai
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.
See Examples For:
When the AI reported “a person is jumping from the roof of a house,” it was Soderstrom again, this time standing up quickly in the lanai and grabbing a hose or broom, she recalled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
“I jumped out of my bunk and I ran over to the edge of the lanai and just as I got there, a plane went right over the barracks,” he said.
From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024
He recounted in a 2008 oral history interview how he was in his bunk inside a screened-in lanai, or porch, on the third floor of his barracks when the bombing began.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 20, 2024
An architect created drawings for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house, complete with energy-efficient appliances and a covered lanai.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2022
Olly’s seated on the top rung of the railing on the lanai.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Lanai has beautiful beaches, a Jack Nicklaus–designed golf course, and dining and resort amenities in the high-end hotels.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Authorities warn that the same storm system is now threatening other islands, with flash flood alerts and evacuation warnings issued for parts of Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2026
Thirty years ago, I was vacationing at the Manele Bay Resort in Lanai, Hawaii, when my wife noticed an actor seated near us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026
In 1985, Murdock took over the nearly bankrupt Hawaiian real-estate company Castle & Cooke, which owned Dole, then a pineapple and banana producer, and the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
Therefore, the man entreated the grandmother and said: "Unloosen the veil from your grandchild's face, for I see that she is more beautiful than all the daughters of the chiefs round about Molokai and Lanai."
From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Martha Warren Beckwith
Shaded lanais looked out on little gardens of mostly fruit trees and vegetables.
From Slate ● Nov. 27, 2021
Lounges and lanais surround a swimming pool out back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
Centuries ago, these dwellings would have included roofs made of wooden beams and thatch of hau hau, a native plant, and even featured lanais made of ocean-smoothed rocks.
From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2016
It fixed existing dining options by giving them a "contemporary expression," enlarged lanais and improved views, and it added a sushi bar and a lobby bar.
From Golf Digest ● Aug. 2, 2010
He knew the holoku in the home of its origin, where, on the lanais of Hawaii, it gave charm to a plain woman and double-folded the charm of a charming woman.
From The Little Lady of the Big House by Jack London
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.
