hula

hu·la
H4U1L1A1
UK/ˈhuːlə/US/ˈhulə/

noun

A form of chant and dance, which was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there.

Similar
hula-hulaHawaiian dancing
OriginHawaiian hula →
Less commonScrabble 7
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Meanings

nounhula (plural hulas)

plural hulas · alternative hula-hula · alternative hula hula · alternative hura

  1. A form of chant and dance, which was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there.

    Under the rule of Kalākaua, they had revived the hula, which had been condemned by the missionaries.

    2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press, page 87
verbhula (third-person singular simple present hulas, present participle hulaing, simple past and past participle hulaed)

present singular third person hulas · participle present hulaing · participle past hulaed · past hulaed · alternative hula-hula · alternative hula hula · alternative hura

  1. intransitiveTo dance the hula.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna Polynesian rain dance performed by a woman

Similar
hula-hulaHawaiian dancing
Broader
rain dance
Also see
hula-hula

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Hawaiianhula
  2. Hawaiianhula
  3. Englishhula

Borrowed from Hawaiian hula.

More words from Hawaiian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic هُولَا
  • هُولَا (hūlā)Hawaiian chant and dance
Chinese Mandarin 草裙舞, 呼拉圈舞
  • 草裙舞 (cǎoqúnwǔ)Hawaiian chant and dance
  • 呼拉圈舞 (hūlā quānwǔ)Hawaiian chant and dance
Hawaiian hula
  • hulaHawaiian chant and dance
Hindi हुला
  • हुला (hulā)Hawaiian chant and dance
Japanese フラ
  • フラ (fura)Hawaiian chant and dance
Korean 훌라
  • 훌라 (hulla)Hawaiian chant and dance
Māori hurahura
  • hurahuraHawaiian chant and dance
Russian ху́ла
  • ху́ла (xúla)Hawaiian chant and dance
Urdu ہلا
  • ہلا (hulā)Hawaiian chant and dance
Welsh hwla
  • hwlaHawaiian chant and dance

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with hula

BeulahdoulagulamoolaFulaFoulahula-hula
All rhymes →

Anagrams

haulLahu
Cite this entry
APA

hula. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hula

MLA

“hula.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hula. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hula,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hula.

Source: hula on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.