luau
Americannoun
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a feast of Hawaiian food, usually held outdoors and usually accompanied by Hawaiian entertainment.
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a cooked dish of taro leaves, usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken.
noun
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a feast of Hawaiian food
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a dish of taro leaves usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken
Etymology
Origin of luau
First recorded in 1835–45, luau is from the Hawaiian word lū'au
Explanation
A luau is a Hawaiian party, often with music and dancing. If you wear a grass skirt and lei, you will most likely fit in at a luau. The very first luau was thrown by King Kamehameha II in 1819, as a way to celebrate the end of the Hawaiian cultural taboo against men and women eating together. The word luau means "young taro tops" in Hawaiian, and this is one of the traditional foods served at a luau, usually with squid or chicken cooked in coconut milk.
Vocabulary lists containing luau
2015 Spelling Bee - Words from Round 2
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Scrabble: Four-Letter Words with 3 Vowels
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Hey, Kiddo
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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.
On the final evening, they attended an outdoor banquet lit by tiki torches that featured a whole roasted luau pig.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025
“All my friends lost their homes and 90% of my co-workers did,” said DeRego, whose workplace of 15 years — the Feast at Lele luau on Front Street — no longer exists.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023
And then they all start wearing Hawaiian shirts because it represents luau.
From Slate • May 8, 2023
The outdoor light restrictions effectively prohibit nighttime hula dances and luau performances — local cultural signatures.
From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2022
I was hot, tired, and hungry, and when this lady mentioned a luau, my stomach sat up on its hind legs and begged like a dog.
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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.
