ukulele

or u·ke·le·le

[ yoo-kuh-ley-lee; Hawaiian oo-koo-ley-ley ]

/ ˌyu kəˈleɪ li; Hawaiian ˌu kʊˈleɪ leɪ /

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noun

a small, guitarlike musical instrument associated chiefly with Hawaiian music.

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Origin of ukulele

1895–1900, Americanism;<Hawaiian ʿukulele leaping flea (ʿuku flea + lele to jump, leap), a nickname given to British army officer Edward Purvis (who popularized the instrument at the court of King Kalakaua), in reference to his lively playing style

Words nearby ukulele

ukiyo-e, UK Overseas Territory, Ukr., Ukraine, Ukrainian, ukulele, UL, ʿulama, ulan, Ulan Bator, Ulanova

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ukulele in a sentence

We had our daughter start ukulele this year because classes were held outdoors with each kid confined inside hula-hoops spaced six feet apart.
Emily Oster says you should run your family like a business. Does that work in 2021 — or ever?|Vicky Hallett|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
Also, hiking isn’t as fun when you’re carrying 25 pounds of equipment, a sword, and a ukulele.
I Went Camping as My Dungeons & Dragons Character|smurguia|July 15, 2021|Outside Online
To their credit, I don’t think any of them expected to see a man with a ukulele and a sword hiking alongside them that Sunday.
I Went Camping as My Dungeons & Dragons Character|smurguia|July 15, 2021|Outside Online
So she added unrelated goals — practice her ukulele, decorate her crutches and paint a jewelry tray.
Maryland’s Lizzie Colson has gone from the top of lacrosse to its depths and is rising again|Emily Giambalvo|May 13, 2021|Washington Post

Duckworth wrote 15-page letters to friends and practiced her ukulele.
Being Single Was Just a Part of Their Lives Before the Pandemic. Then It Became the Defining One|Belinda Luscombe|April 17, 2021|Time
Trainor brought along a ukulele to her audition and blew him away.
‘All About That Bass’ Singer Meghan Trainor On Haters and Her Polarizing (and Unlikely) No. 1 Hit|Marlow Stern|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are few things cuter than a little kid killing it on the ukulele.
Lennon and Maisy Stella & More YouTube Musical Prodigies (Video)|Jake Heller|June 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Bernice saw that Warren's eyes had left a ukulele he had been tinkering with and were fixed on her questioningly.
Flappers and Philosophers|F. Scott Fitzgerald
Somebody began to play a ukulele, and gay voices took up the tune.
The Mystery of the Fires|Edith Lavell
But Fulaanu lounged with her ukulele, surrounded by amorous sailors who gazed longingly into her eyes.
The Pacific Triangle|Sydney Greenbie
Returning home for a canned luncheon she discovered Gaylord humming a love song and strumming on his ukulele.
The Gorgeous Girl|Nalbro Bartley
From within, through the open window, came the tinkling of Tom's ukulele and the rollicking lilt of his voice in an Hawaiian hula.
The Turtles of Tasman|Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for ukulele

ukulele

ukelele

/ (ˌjuːkəˈleɪlɪ) /

noun

a small four-stringed guitar, esp of Hawaii

Word Origin for ukulele

C19: from Hawaiian, literally: jumping flea, from `uku flea + lele jumping

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

Cultural definitions for ukulele

ukulele

[ (yooh-kuh-lay-lee) ]

A small guitar, developed in Hawaii, with four strings.