lap steel

noun

variants or lap steel guitar
plural lap steels or lap steel guitars
: an electric steel guitar that is held and played in a horizontal position across the lap and has usually six to eight strings which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar
The lap steel is an electric adaptation of the resophonic, commonly heard in Hawaiian and traditional country music.Elzy Kolb
The band [Uncle Tupelo] incorporated both banjo and lap steel guitar to give their standard rock instrumental configuration (bass, guitar, drums) more of a traditional country sound.Rick Anderson
compare pedal steel, hawaiian guitar

Examples of lap steel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In the first two songs (and at the end of the show), guitarist Bougie played a lap steel guitar, creating a remarkable range of sounds with the instrument. Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 27 Jan. 2025 Add to that his background as an award-winning Future Farmer of America co-signed by Dove Award-winning country songwriter Jerry Salley skilled at the guitar, lap steel, ukulele, bass, and banjo. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lap steel was in 1969

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Cite this Entry

“Lap steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lap%20steel. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.

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