ukulele
Americannoun
-
ukuleles
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ukulele
1895–1900, < 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
Explanation
The happy little Hawaiian stringed instrument that looks like a small guitar is a ukulele. Most ukuleles have four strings and are light enough to be strummed by anyone, including kids. The ukulele, or uke, as it's frequently called for short, comes in four standard sizes: soprano, concert, tenor, and baritone, and even more less-common variations. The larger the uke, the deeper and louder its sound. Some ukuleles are even double-strung, with a total of eight strings. A good ukulele player's fingers move extremely fast, which explains its name, which means "leaping flea" in Hawaiian.
Vocabulary lists containing ukulele
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 4
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Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Musical Instruments - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
However, by the time he left the shop, he had bought a guitar, a ukulele and another piece of equipment.
From BBC ● Jan. 19, 2026
I opened two of his shows playing ukulele.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
Jenkins played baritone ukulele, harmonica, hummed and used bird calls in her work while pulling influences from Spanish, Chinese, Hebrew, Korean, Swahili and other languages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2024
First loudly, with a ukulele, to convince her early-20th-century immigrant dad to spring for swimming lessons; later, softly, to herself as she prepares to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2024
“You may bring your ukulele and strum to us while we eat chicken sandwiches. Is Doctor Montague here?”
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
As 30 ukuleles plucked out a jaunty “You Are My Sunshine,” Marxer slipped out to take the call.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023
“It was a very negative domino effect,” said Delgado, who now spends much of his workday, starting at 5 a.m., repairing or making acoustic guitars, violins and ukuleles, among other stringed instruments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
Take for instance, “Grown I Am,” a duet on ukuleles from Huertas’ new musical “We’ve Battled Monsters Before,” now on stage at ArtsWest through Dec. 26.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2021
“I saw how popular ukuleles were becoming 10 years ago and knew this wasn’t just a fad that would die down,” Mick told The Times of Northwest Indiana.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2020
Two more mortals accompany him less skillfully, but more joyfully, on ukuleles.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
