What does "jukebox" mean?
A coin-operated machine that plays recorded music, with push-buttons to make selections.
Jukebox
/ˈd͡ʒuːkbɒks/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A coin-operated machine that plays recorded music, with push-buttons to make selections.
- Grammar: jukebox is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: audio sound system, audiophile, automatic, binaural system.
- Useful contrasts: analog jukebox, contemporary, digital.
- Usage evidence: Tom and Mary are sitting at a table over near the jukebox.
How to use "jukebox"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "jukebox" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "jukebox" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "jukebox" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "jukebox" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "jukebox" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "audio sound system" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "jukebox", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A coin-operated machine that plays recorded music, with push-buttons to make selections.
"Glenn Miller plays more sweet numbers than hot. His greatest success has been with the “juke boxes”, the nickel-in-a-slot automatic phonographs. Miller is easily the most outstanding juke-box artist of 1939."
- 2 a cabinet containing an automatic record player; records are played by inserting a coin wordnet
- 3 A software application capable of replaying tracks from a digital music collection. broadly
"Before you export a movie to tape, double-check the following: Make sure all unnecessary programs are closed, including your e-mail program, MP3 jukebox, and Web browser."
- 4 An automated carousel for the storage and retrieval of tapes, CD-ROMs, etc.
- 5 Ellipsis of jukebox musical. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Jukeboxes have frequently been compared to the megamusicals and are considered a direct offshoot."
Verb
- 1 To play and listen to music from a jukebox.
"Haven't you ever wasted money jukeboxing in the bars that are bathed in pastis and grenadine?"
- 2 To play (music or digital content) on a jukebox transitive
"They are everywhere today, whistled in the streets, broadcasted, jukeboxed, danced to in ballrooms."
- 3 To play or repeat as if on a jukebox. broadly
"Foamy-chopped dogs frisk the pavements for barf-free kebab or hot dropped fry, mobiles trilling de-daw-de-dee theme tunes, their birdsong jukeboxing the cigarette air as rain falls from a plum sky ..."
- 4 To format or set up for playing by a jukebox.
"And best of all, per-document-stored cost will be substantially under what it is on spinning spindles alone or when the disks are jukeboxed."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tom and Mary are sitting at a table over near the jukebox."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "jukebox"?
Common synonyms include: audio sound system, audiophile, automatic, binaural system, bitch box, bullhorn.
How do you use "jukebox" in a sentence?
Tom and Mary are sitting at a table over near the jukebox.
How do you pronounce "jukebox"?
Pronounced /ˈd͡ʒuːkbɒks/.
Etymology
1939, juke (“roadside café”) + box, replacing older collocational terms such as nickel-in-a-slot phonograph, coin-in-the-slot phonograph, and coin-operated phonograph.