maraca

[ muh-rah-kuh, -rak-uh ]

/ məˈrɑ kə, -ˈræk ə /

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noun

a gourd or a gourd-shaped rattle filled with seeds or pebbles and used, often in a pair, as a rhythm instrument.

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Origin of maraca

1815–25; <Portuguese <Tupi maráka

Words nearby maraca

Māra, marabi, marabou, marabout, marabunta, maraca, Maracaibo, Maracanda, Maracay, Maradona, marae

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use maraca in a sentence

If approved by the Unicode Consortium, pictograms like a hand fan, a discombobulated face, a pair of maracas, and a knob of ginger will appear on our devices in September 2022, adding to the 3,633 we already have.
Why Unicode is approving fewer and fewer new emoji|David Yanofsky|July 17, 2022|Quartz
Davey was thrashing in the water, his face swollen and bloody, his eyes rattling like dried peas in a maraca.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for maraca

maraca

/ (məˈrækə) /

noun

a percussion instrument, usually one of a pair, consisting of a gourd or plastic shell filled with dried seeds, pebbles, etc. It is used chiefly in Latin American music

Word Origin for maraca

C20: Brazilian Portuguese, from Tupi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012