variants
or less commonly hula-hula
: a sinuous Polynesian dance characterized by rhythmic movement of the hips and mimetic gestures with the hands and often accompanied by chants and rhythmic drumming
Did you know?
A sinuous Polynesian dance, the hula combines undulating movement of the hips and mimetic hand gestures. The dance is often accompanied by chants, drumming, and music played on instruments such as the ukulele. Originally a religious dance performed to praise the chiefs, contemporary hulas tell a story or describe a place, and are danced exclusively by women. The costume typically includes a raffia skirt with a lei (garland) around the neck.
Examples of hula in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cowgirls, grunge girls, hippie chicks, hula girls, Mods, Pre-Raphaelite maidens, and surfers are some of the territories that her designs have come up with.
—
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 29 Jan. 2025
That would have made football like a hula hoop or a yo-yo, a fad that didn’t have deep roots, but instead, the passion, the fan base has grown World Cup to World Cup.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2025
Guests received hotel keychains with their initials and table numbers featuring the hula girl from the merch designs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
On Monday and Tuesday, the witches grossed $3.3M and $4.67M to the hula girl’s $2.5M and $4.2M. Running cume on the highest grossing feature take of a Broadway musical is $330.1M while Moana 2 stands at $306M.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hula 
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.
Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 29 Jan. 2025
That would have made football like a hula hoop or a yo-yo, a fad that didn’t have deep roots, but instead, the passion, the fan base has grown World Cup to World Cup.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Jan. 2025
Guests received hotel keychains with their initials and table numbers featuring the hula girl from the merch designs.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
On Monday and Tuesday, the witches grossed $3.3M and $4.67M to the hula girl’s $2.5M and $4.2M. Running cume on the highest grossing feature take of a Broadway musical is $330.1M while Moana 2 stands at $306M.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hula
Dictionary Entries Near hula
Cite this Entry
“Hula.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hula. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hula
noun
hu·la
ˈhü-lə 
variants
or hula-hula
ˌhü-lə-ˈhü-lə
: a Polynesian dance composed of slow rhythmic body movements usually accompanied by chants and drumming
Etymology
from Hawaiian (Indigenous language of Hawaii)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share