karaoke

UK/ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/US/ˌkæ.ɹiˈoʊ.ki/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #4,566 of 15,258leans spoken

Karaoke is singing along to recorded backing for fun. Do karaoke, a karaoke bar, karaoke night.

The Japanese means empty orchestra, since the singer replaces the missing voice. It was invented in Japan in the 1970s and the machine's inventor never patented it, which is why it spread so fast.

Definitions of karaoke

1nounkaraokeSinging along to recorded backing for fun.B2
“After dinner, we sang karaoke until midnight, and my dad did a terrible Elvis.”

karaoke is an activity.

Where it comes from

Japanese karaoke means empty orchestra, from kara, empty, plus a clipping of the borrowed word orchestra.

English
orchestra
Japanese
カラオケ
English, today
karaoke

Borrowed from Japanese カラオケ. Japanese - カラオケ, from 空 + オケ, a clipping of オーケストラ, from English orchestra.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

karaoke in the wild

In Chinese-speaking countries and regions such as mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, a karaoke box is called a KTV.
Karaoke
The global karaoke market has been estimated to be worth nearly $10 billion.
Karaoke
The songs in the game are covers of pop hits frequently sung in karaoke bars.
Karaoke Revolution
There is also a different style of karaoke, the traditional type where the patrons sing in front of everyone, that is also still offered in popular entertainment areas.
Karaoke box
A new style of karaoke booth has appeared in Chinese shopping malls; customers can enter a booth, similar to a photo-booth, that allows them to perform different songs.
Karaoke box

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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