Luau Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

luau American [loo-ou, loo-ou] / luˈaʊ, ˈlu aʊ /

noun

1. a feast of Hawaiian food, usually held outdoors and usually accompanied by Hawaiian entertainment.

2. a cooked dish of taro leaves, usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken.

luau British / luːˈaʊ, ˈluːaʊ /

noun

1. a feast of Hawaiian food

2. a dish of taro leaves usually prepared with coconut cream and octopus or chicken

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of luau

First recorded in 1835–45, luau is from the Hawaiian word lū'au

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On the final evening, they attended an outdoor banquet lit by tiki torches that featured a whole roasted luau pig.

From Salon

The star receiver, with several colorful leis draping his shoulders, turned heads upon arrival at a Monday night luau.

From Los Angeles Times

Both of her parents are longtime employees of the luau, which started in 1986.

From Los Angeles Times

At a church luau, my dad took one look at my mom in her floral Hawaiian dress and “fell in love with me right then,” she said.

From Seattle Times

Akaka, who has been playing Hawaiian steel guitar for more than 50 years, was not initially drawn to the instrument, despite hearing it at parties and luaus while growing up.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.