fife

noun

ˈfīf 

: a small transverse flute with six to eight finger holes and usually no keys

Examples of fife in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore came to life on Thursday, booming with the sounds of fifes and drums, as hundreds of students watched. —Madeline Burke, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

The film's soundtrack carries on that way throughout, showing the boundless energy of hardscrabble, down-to-their-last-dime people via fifes, fiddles, and harps. —Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026

Marvel’s calendar portrayed Spider-Man and the Hulk playing the drums and Captain America playing the fife. —Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026

Soldiers from the Old Guard, wearing tricorne hats and bright-red uniforms, marched past, amid a flourish of fifes and drums. —Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

German Pfeife pipe, fife, from Old High German pfīfa, from Vulgar Latin *pipa pipe — more at pipe

First Known Use

1539, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fife

• fife rail

Rhymes for fife

• knife
• life
• rife
• strife
• wife
• afterlife
• pocketknife
• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife

Kids Definition

fife

noun

ˈfīf 

: a small high-pitched musical instrument resembling a flute

Geographical Definition

Fife

geographical name

ˈfīf 

variants or Fifeshire

ˈfīf-ˌshir 

-shər

administrative area of eastern Scotland between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth area 509 square miles (1319 square kilometers), population 365,198