vuvuzela

American

[voo-voo-zel-uh] / ˌvu vuˈzɛl ə /

noun

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

vuvuzela British

/ ˌvuːvuːˈzɛlə /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of vuvuzela

Probably from Zulu vuvu

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.

The capital, its suburbs and multiple other cities erupted with vuvuzela horns, honking, fireworks and celebratory dancing as hundreds of thousands of fans took to the streets.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

He saluted his fans who excitedly blew their vuvuzela horns.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023