vuvuzela

American  

[voo-voo-zel-uh] / ˌvu vuˈzɛl ə /

noun

1. South African. a long, plastic horn that makes a loud, monotone sound, typically blown by South African fans at soccer matches.

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vuvuzela British  

/ ˌvuːvuːˈzɛlə /

noun

1. an elongated plastic instrument that football fans blow to make a loud noise similar to the trumpeting of an elephant

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Etymology

Origin of vuvuzela

Probably from Zulu vuvu

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vuvuzela

On the eve of the arrival, candles lined the roads and crowds danced in the centre while vuvuzela horns blared across the city.

From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2025

Uefa prohibited the use of some devices following the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that was dominated by use of the vuvuzela from the stands.

From BBC ● Feb. 7, 2024

Still, among her prized possessions is a vuvuzela from South Africa 2010, little towels from Japan 2002, and bracelets from Russia 2018.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022

Come for the glib self-owns, the vuvuzela as punctuation, the hotel suite toga parties.

From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2020

Ten years ago: Over the din of vuvuzela horns in Johannesburg, South Africa, Spain won soccer’s World Cup after an exhausting 1-0 victory in extra time over the Netherlands.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 11, 2020