Banjo
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 A stringed musical instrument (chordophone), usually with a round body, a membrane-like soundboard and a fretted neck, played by plucking or strumming the strings.
"I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee..."
- 2 a stringed instrument of the guitar family that has long neck and circular body wordnet
- 3 Any of various similar musical instruments, such as the Tuvan doshpuluur, with a membrane-like soundboard.
- 4 An object shaped like a banjo, especially a frying pan or a shovel. slang
- 5 A cul-de-sac with a round end. UK
"They all came back here — we cleared the room and put up tables for the reception — and then we went to another house on the banjo for a "knees-up"."
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- 6 A miner's round-nosed shovel.
- 7 An egg sandwich fried on a flattop and served in a bun as would a burger, ellipsis of egg banjo. Malaysia
- 8 The frenulum of the penis. slang, vulgar
- 1 To play a banjo.
- 2 To beat, to knock down. British, slang, transitive
"Admitting the assault, the husband said that he had given her a 'banjoing' but that she had asked for it."
- 3 To shell or attack (a target). British, slang, transitive
"Riding reported that on the day Mayne had asked for DZ coordinates, their base had been banjoed by the Germans."
Example
More examples"A gentleman is someone who knows how to play the banjo and doesn't."
Etymology
From the pronunciation of African slaves, of unknown ultimate origin. Possibly a corruption of bandore (from Spanish bandurria), alternatively from a West African language such as Mandinka banjul, or Kimbundu mbanza.
Related phrases
More for "banjo"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.