balalaika

noun

bal·​a·​lai·​ka ˌba-lə-ˈlī-kə How to pronounce balalaika (audio)
: a usually 3-stringed instrument of Russian origin with a triangular body played by plucking or strumming

Illustration of balalaika

Illustration of balalaika

Examples of balalaika in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Karokhina will play the balalaika and Smirnov will sing and play the guitar and garmoshka. — Courant Community, 25 July 2017 She was classically trained on the piano starting at age 4 and plays over 20 other instruments, including the mountain dulcimer, banjo, folk harp and balalaika, according to her bio. — Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Russian

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of balalaika was in 1780

Rhymes for balalaika

See All Rhymes for balalaika

Browse Nearby Words

Balaklava
balalaika
balam
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Balalaika.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/balalaika. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on balalaika

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about balalaika

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All