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
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
The star receiver, with several colorful leis draping his shoulders, turned heads upon arrival at a Monday night luau.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025
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
We could have held a luau on that bus, with a roast pig and hula dancers, and he would have been none the wiser.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
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.
