ukulele

American  

[yoo-kuh-lay-lee, oo-koo-lay-lay] / ˌju kəˈleɪ li, ˌu kʊˈleɪ leɪ /

Or ukelele

noun

• ukuleles
  plural

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

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ukulele British  

/ ˌjuːkəˈleɪlɪ /

noun

1. a small four-stringed guitar, esp of Hawaii

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ukulele Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ukuleles
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ukulele ukuleles

Zamorano can play the ukulele, listens to music created years ago and doesn’t pay attention to what others think.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

He attended a selective public high school, wrote songs and played guitar, keyboards and ukulele.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

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

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

Through barter and the generosity of a few friends, he soon owned a ragged collection of old stringed instruments—a mandolin, several guitars, an old ukulele, and two banjos.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

The crowd listened in silence as the Polynesians, wearing blue fire uniforms, sang a Tahitian hymn in harmony while two of them strummed ukuleles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

As 30 ukuleles plucked out a jaunty “You Are My Sunshine,” Marxer slipped out to take the call.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023

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

‘Hey, um, usually I’m all for smashing ukuleles, but ‘I cannot help you!’

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

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