How to Use banjo in a Sentence

banjo

noun
  • In a shadowy crevasse, a red-nosed clown strummed a banjo in the dark.
    — New York Times, 23 Sep. 2021
  • This feels like a banjo moment.
    — Jason Maxey, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
  • That song is screaming for a fiddle and a banjo.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 4 June 2026
  • Money was tighter than a banjo string around the Carter house at that time.
    — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
  • Oh, and if a speaker goes over time, they get cut off with the sound of banjo music.
    — Olivia Krauth, The Courier-Journal, 31 July 2023
  • Sweet compared the Gulf Stream to a banjo string.
    — Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026
  • He will be backed by two guitarists that double on banjo and mandolin.
    — Myrna Petlicki, chicagotribune.com, 14 Mar. 2022
  • His father worked a farm and played banjo and fiddle at barn dances and other events.
    — New York Times, 12 July 2021
  • Lee played clarinet and sax and was teaching himself the banjo.
    — courant.com, 23 July 2019
  • Tarleton took up piano, learned to play the banjo and spent time with her grandkids.
    — Wendy Grossman Kantor, PEOPLE.com, 22 Feb. 2021
  • Though performed on guitar, the songs were written on the banjo.
    — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 4 May 2022
  • Antonoff pushed them to use their core strength, the three-part harmonies backed by fiddle and banjo, in new ways.
    — Washington Post, 10 July 2020
  • Isaac had arranged it so that a couple people would just appear with a hat on and a banjo.
    — Ryan Reed, SPIN, 21 Mar. 2022
  • The group members wore West African garments and had drums and a banjo.
    — Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 2 June 2024
  • There were even strings to a musical instrument, thought to be a banjo.
    — Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 6 July 2025
  • Just think of the opening scene where clapping horse hooves merge with the delicate strum of a banjo.
    — Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2023
  • The curls popped up again onstage paired with a banjo and shimmery, glowy golden makeup.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 1 July 2024
  • But for him, playing the banjo has become an act of reclamation.
    — Adam Bradley Justin French, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023
  • His son, Brad, is a singer and rising star among clawhammer banjo players.
    — Lisa Gueli Regnante, Howard County Times, 21 June 2018
  • But Black artists have long influenced the genre — starting with the banjo.
    — Janay Kingsberry, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Prince Naveen was shown plucking a banjo, his eyes rolling and blinking in time with his strumming.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
  • There’s a funny banjo entrance.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The determined young girl simply turned the banjo upside down and taught herself to play that way.
    — Brandon Tensley, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 June 2024
  • Among the unique lineup of events being promised are a celebrity chef biscuit bake-off, free banjo lessons and square dances.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
  • The banjo is thought to be descended from the ngoni, a lute from West Africa.
    — John Adamian, courant.com, 7 June 2019
  • The twang of a banjo and the notes of a fiddle ride over scratchy percussion and call-and-response vocals.
    — Nikki Miller-Ka, AFAR Media, 30 Jan. 2026
  • The next slide featured a clip of the Pink Panther star flexing his skills on the banjo.
    — Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Corriveau stuffed workout gear into one corner of the bedroom, and stood a banjo in the other.
    — Alden Woods, azcentral, 21 Mar. 2020
  • The banjo, of course, is like a rhythm instrument and Jerry plays the guitar like a banjo.
    — Gary Graff, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Avram was an amateur poet and her older brother David played the banjo.
    — Marc Snegg, Time, 7 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banjo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: