guitar

noun

gui·​tar gə-ˈtär 

gi-,

 especially Southern and Midland US also  ˈgi-ˌtär

: a flat-bodied stringed instrument with a long fretted neck and usually six strings played with a pick or with the fingers

guitarist

gə-ˈtär-ist 

gi-

noun

Illustration of guitar

• 1 electric
• 2 acoustic

Examples of guitar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Billy Ray, whose guitar seemed to be unconnected after a shaky performance of the Lil Nas X song, asked. —Lauryn Overhultz, Fox News, 23 Jan. 2025

Viewers of the Liberty Ball performance had commented on technical issues that plagued Billy Ray’s set, leaving his guitar inaudible and forcing him to perform a cappella. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2025

The performance was plagued by technical problems, with Cyrus at one point finding his electric guitar was not hooked up to the audio system. —Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2025

Plenty of guitars from famed musicians have headed to auction as of late—though perhaps not this large of a collection. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French guitare, from Spanish guitarra, from Arabic qītār, from Greek kithara cithara

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing guitar

• air guitar
• bottleneck guitar
• Hawaiian guitar
• lap steel guitar
• pedal steel guitar
• resonator guitar
• resophonic guitar
• steel guitar

Kids Definition

guitar

noun

gui·​tar gə-ˈtär 

: a stringed instrument with a flat body, a long neck with frets, and usually six strings that are played with the fingers or with a pick

guitarist

-əst 

noun

Etymology

from French guitare "guitar," derived from Arabic qītār (same meaning)