Meaning & use
reggae
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A style of popular music from Jamaica with a strong offbeat rhythm and a relaxed tempo.
Grammar: No plural; can be used with 'the' to mean the genre: I love reggae.
Patterns
- reggae music
- a reggae band
Bob Marley is the most famous reggae artist in the world.
The party played reggae all night long.
She learned to play reggae on the guitar.
Common combinations
- reggae music
- Reggae music often has lyrics about social justice.
- reggae band
- A local reggae band played at the festival.
- dance to reggae
- We danced to reggae until midnight.
- reggae rhythm
- The song has a slow reggae rhythm.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ska
- Ska is an earlier, faster Jamaican style with horns; reggae is slower and more relaxed.
- dancehall
- Dancehall is a later, more electronic Jamaican style; reggae is the broader, older genre.
Commonly confused: reggae or reggaeton?
reggae vs reggaeton
Reggaeton is a Latin American genre mixing reggae with hip-hop and electronic beats; reggae is the Jamaican original.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'reggae' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 2 uses 'reggae' as an uncountable noun for the music genre, which is correct. Option 0 uses it as a verb, which is wrong. Option 1 uses it as a plural noun with 'are', but it is uncountable. Option 3 invents a verb form that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “reggae”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.