ukulele

American  

[yoo-kuh-ley-lee, oo-koo-ley-ley] / ˌyu kəˈleɪ li, ˌu kʊˈleɪ leɪ /

Or ukelele

noun

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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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

Example Sentences

They hang out — George with a ukulele in his hands, noodling away — and talk old times.

From Los Angeles Times

I opened two of his shows playing ukulele.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I think you can worship God with a ukulele.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"I learnt a few ukulele chords for a Clairo song called Sofia," explains Aiman, who insists he really is a fan of the soft rock singer.

From BBC

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