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

Within photos of Momoa playing a guitar and riding motorcycles with friends was a photo of him and his new girlfriend, 32, laughing in front of the water and cuddling at a restaurant. —Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 21 May 2024

The acerbic Stockton indie rockers, beloved for their spiky guitar interplay and frontman Stephen Malkmus’ bone-dry wit, released a number of rock-critic-beloved albums in the ‘90s for indie label Matador, and returned as festival favorites in the 2010s. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024

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)