fife

noun

ˈfīf How to pronounce fife (audio)
: a small transverse flute with six to eight finger holes and usually no keys

Examples of fife 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.
The townspeople agreed, and the piper began to play a lively tune upon his fife. — Simon Rich, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 Soldiers from the Old Guard, wearing tricorne hats and bright-red uniforms, marched past, amid a flourish of fifes and drums. — Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025 The film's soundtrack carries on that way throughout, showing the boundless energy of hardscrabble, down-to-their-last-dime people via fifes, fiddles, and harps. — Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026 The head drummer of the colonial fife and drum band was a Black man in a Revolutionary War costume, his dreadlocks peeking from under a powdered wig. — Catherine Simpson Bueker, The Conversation, 1 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for fife

Word History

Etymology

German Pfeife pipe, fife, from Old High German pfīfa, from Vulgar Latin *pipa pipe — more at pipe

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fife was in 1539

Phrases Containing fife

Rhymes for fife

See All Rhymes for fife

Browse Nearby Words

fi fa
fife
Fife
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Cite this Entry

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

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Kids Definition

fife

noun
ˈfīf How to pronounce fife (audio)
: a small high-pitched musical instrument resembling a flute

Geographical Definition

Fife

geographical name

ˈfīf How to pronounce Fife (audio)
variants or Fifeshire
ˈfīf-ˌshir How to pronounce Fife (audio)
-shər
administrative area of eastern Scotland between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth area 509 square miles (1319 square kilometers), population 365,198

More from Merriam-Webster on fife

Nglish: Translation of fife for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fife

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