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Synonyms

steel guitar

American  

noun

  1. an acoustic, handheld guitar having a metal resonator and producing a wailing, variable sound.

  2. a pedal steel guitar.

  3. a Hawaiian guitar.


steel guitar British  

noun

  1. See Hawaiian guitar pedal steel guitar

"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

Etymology

Origin of steel guitar

First recorded in 1925–30

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:

Tammy Wynette had it; just listen to her mourn how “the sun will never shine in Apartment #9” and your ear will catch the throb in her throat that echoes the song’s steel guitar.

From Salon May 15, 2026

It wasn’t until he was 14, hearing his older brother play Hawaiian music on his steel guitar at home, that Akaka’s interest in the gliding style was piqued.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 1, 2024

Nearly all the legends trace the invention of the Hawaiian steel guitar back to Joseph Kekuku in the 1880s.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 1, 2024

He pulls out a black-and-gold steel guitar, a six-string Supro donated by another musician to replace the basic model Cortez uses at home.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 1, 2024

We stood together, our trio at the corner of the stage, and listened as a steel guitar started off the first song.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

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