Definition

Noun: A jukebox is a large, often decorative, automated music-playing machine. It is typically housed in a cabinet and contains a coin-operated mechanism that allows users to select and play recorded music, such as vinyl records or compact discs, from a visible collection.

Usage

A jukebox is a self-service entertainment device commonly found in public venues like bars, diners, and arcades. To operate it, a user inserts a coin, makes a selection from the listed songs, and the machine automatically plays the chosen recording.

Examples

• We put a quarter in the jukebox and selected our favorite song.
• The classic diner had a vintage jukebox playing hits from the 1950s.
• He collects and restores old jukeboxes as a hobby.

Advanced Usage

• "Jukebox musical": A genre of stage musical or film that uses previously released popular songs as its musical score, often with a narrative built around them. (e.g., is a jukebox musical featuring songs by ABBA).
• "Digital jukebox": A modern version that stores music files digitally on a hard drive or streams them, rather than using physical media like records or CDs.

Variants and Related Words

• Nickelodeon: An early 20th-century term for a coin-operated player piano or, later, a jukebox, named for the five-cent coin (a nickel) it often required.
• Wurlitzer: A famous brand name of jukeboxes, often used informally to refer to a jukebox generically.

Synonyms

• Coin-operated phonograph
• Music box (in a specific, automated, public context)

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Like a broken record / Like a stuck jukebox": This idiom, which predates but is reinforced by the image of a malfunctioning jukebox, describes someone who repeats the same statement or idea incessantly.
  • He kept complaining about the same thing, like a broken record.

Noun

1. a cabinet containing an automatic record player; records are played by inserting a coin