Illustration of banjo
banjo
noun
ban·jo
ˈban-(ˌ)jō 
plural banjos also banjoes
: a musical instrument with a drumlike body, a fretted neck, and usually four or five strings which may be plucked or strummed
Examples of banjo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rufe Davis played Floyd Smoot, the banjo-playing handyman at the Shady Rest Hotel.
—
Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
On New Year’s Eve 1963, a 16-year-old Bob Weir heard the plucking of a banjo off in the distance.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 11 Jan. 2026
On New Year’s Eve, 1965, Weir and his friends heard banjo music emerging from Dana Morgan’s Music Store.
—Richard Gehr, Rolling Stone, 10 Jan. 2026
The remaining band members include guitarist Patrick Sauber, lead vocalist Trisha Gagnon, five-string banjo player Nick Hornbuckle and fiddler Greg Spatz.
—Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Banjo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banjo. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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