karaoke

IPA/ˌkæriˈəʊki/
KK[kˌɛriˈoki]IPA/ˌkæriˈəʊki/

karaoke — noun

1. a social pastime in which people pick popular songs and sing along to recordings

1.nounB1
Definition

a social pastime in which people pick popular songs and sing along to recordings that have the main vocal track removed, following the words on a screen; the practice first became popular in Japan

Example

Leila and her friends went to a karaoke bar on Friday night.

compound noun: karaoke bar

The new karaoke machine in the living room has over five hundred songs.

compound noun: karaoke machine

Word family

  • karaoke bar
    nounB1
  • karaoke machine
    nounB1
  • karaoke night
    nounB1
  • karaoke singer
    nounB1
  • karaoke song
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Karaoke, sing-along, open mic, and lip sync all involve performing with music, but they differ in key ways. A sing-along is an informal gathering where people sing familiar songs together, often without a machine or screen — it is more about group participation than solo performance. An open mic event lets anyone perform live, playing instruments or singing original material, and focuses on showcasing talent rather than following a pre-recorded track. Lip sync means matching mouth movements to a recording without actually singing, and is often used for comedy or dance performances. Karaoke specifically combines the recorded backing track with on-screen lyrics, giving anyone the chance to feel like the lead singer of a popular song, regardless of skill level.

sing-along ↗open miclip sync

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • go for karaoke
  • sing karaoke
  • do karaoke
  • have a karaoke night

Prepositions

Etymology

JapaneseEnglish

Borrowed directly from Japanese カラオケ (karaoke), which is a compound of 空 (kara, 'empty') and オーケストラ (ōkesutora, 'orchestra'). The literal meaning is 'empty orchestra' — a recording of the music without the vocal part. The word entered English in the 1970s as karaoke equipment became popular in bars and restaurants around the world.