accordion

American  

[uh-kawr-dee-uhn] / əˈkɔr di ən /

noun

Music.

• accordions
  plural

1. Also called piano accordion. a portable wind instrument having a large bellows for forcing air through small metal reeds, a keyboard for the right hand, and buttons for sounding single bass notes or chords for the left hand.

2. a similar instrument having single-note buttons instead of a keyboard.

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adjective

1. having a fold or folds like the bellows of an accordion.

   accordion roof; accordion panel.

verb (used without object)

1. (of a door, roof, or other covering) to open by folding back or pressing together in the manner of an accordion.

   The roof of the car accordions to let in sunlight and fresh air.

2. to fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of an accordion.

verb (used with object)

1. to demolish by crushing together lengthwise.

   The impact accordioned the car beneath the truck.

accordion British  

/ əˈkɔːdɪən /

noun

1. a portable box-shaped instrument of the reed organ family, consisting of metallic reeds that are made to vibrate by air from a set of bellows controlled by the player's hands. Notes are produced by means of studlike keys

2. short for piano accordion

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• accordionist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accordions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of accordion

1831; < German, now spelling Akkordion, Akkordeon name under which the instrument was patented in Vienna in 1829; probably < French accord ( er ) or Italian accord ( are ) to harmonize ( see accord) + French -ion -ion, as in German Orchestrion orchestrion

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Explanation

An accordion is a hand-held musical instrument that has a keyboard or buttons and a bellows that blows air in and out. A street musician might play folk tunes on her accordion and collect donations in a hat. One of the distinct features of an accordion is its bellows, which looks like a series of pleats at the center of the instrument, and which allows the player to push and pull the accordion as she plays, blowing air across reeds inside it. The accordion was invented in the early 1800s, and it's played in many countries around the world. The word comes from the German Akkordion, from Akkord, "musical chord" or "be in tune."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accordion accordions

Buzzing slabs of distorted guitar collide with piano, accordion and harmonica, filling all available sonic space.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Nearby, a woman with timeless preschool-teacher energy played the accordion for a ring of toddlers as shoppers crowded around nearly white ears of sweet corn.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

She said he was loved by friends, talented in music and sport, having played the fiddle, accordion and enjoyed judo, chess and sea scouts.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

They’ve championed the resurgence of norteño-sax, a subgenre that fuses the accordion sounds of norteño music with an invigorating alto saxophone, made popular by legendary groups like Conjunto Primavera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

The doors folded shut like a noiseless accordion.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

There are two kinds of accordions — one with piano keys and one with buttons — but they have similar effects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2024

"Music in Ullapool is hyper focused around trad and folk - fiddles, accordions and pipes," said Whittle.

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024

It relies not on computers but on hand-played, largely acoustic instruments: guitars, accordions, brasses, reeds.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

For example: Did you know concert accordions can contain up to 7,000 parts?

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022

The accordions sound ridiculously joyful, even when the songs are about death.

From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez

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