: American jazz or folk music played entirely or in part on nonstandard instruments (such as jugs, washboards, or Jew's harps)
also : a derivative form of music formerly popular in Great Britain featuring vocals with a simple instrumental accompaniment

Examples of skiffle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Spare instances of backdrop music include some twangy Americana guitar and an African American spiritual set to a skiffle beat. Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2024 Quarry Bank was the same school where another highly creative student, John Lennon, found a creative outlet by forming a skiffle band called the Quarrymen a few years before the creation of the Beatles. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skiffle was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near skiffle

Cite this Entry

“Skiffle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skiffle. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.

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