clarinet

American  

[klar-uh-net] / ˌklær əˈnɛt /

noun

• clarinets
  plural

1. a woodwind instrument in the form of a cylindrical tube with a single reed attached to its mouthpiece.

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clarinet British  

/ ˌklærɪˈnɛt /

noun

1. Obsolete name: clarionet.  a keyed woodwind instrument with a cylindrical bore and a single reed. It is a transposing instrument, most commonly pitched in A or B flat

2. an orchestral musician who plays the clarinet

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clarinet Cultural  

1. A woodwind instrument, usually made of black wood or plastic, and played with a single reed. The clarinet has extensive use in Dixieland, jazz, and military music, as well as in classical music.

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Discover More

The most famous American clarinetist was Benny Goodman.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clarinetist
  noun
• clarinettist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clarinets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of clarinet

1790–1800; < French clarinette, equivalent to Old French clarin clarion + -ette -ette

Explanation

A clarinet is a woodwind instrument. A clarinet has a simple, straight tube with intricate keys, a single-reed mouthpiece, and a flared, bell-shaped end. When you play the clarinet, you blow through the mouthpiece and make notes with your fingers on the keys. Clarinets are distinctive because they are straight, with a black body and silver keys, and have a large pitch range. The word clarinet comes from the French clarinette, the diminutive form of clarine. "little bell," which comes from clair, "bright or clear."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clarinet clarinets

After he was declared unfit to serve in the military due to a lung issue, he went on to play clarinet and saxophone in a band.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

Early in his life, Greenspan studied at the Juilliard School, where he focused on the clarinet and saxophone, according to his autobiography.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

One of the first things he conducted at Ojai was “Gnarly Buttons,” a clarinet concerto by the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

He loved the New Orleans Saints, playing the clarinet and thrift shopping, but could also untangle thorny math equations in minutes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

On Friday and Saturday nights, to pay his tuition and help with the home finances, he played saxophone and clarinet in a swing band, the Blue Lyres, he had started in high school.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

The farmers and miners got to hear the most intoxicating music on Earth from brassy cornet players and driving saxophonists, exotic trombone mutes, squealing trumpets and sultry clarinets.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024

She gave as an example a scene at Eric’s ranch in Wyoming where “oboes and clarinets play triplets, suggesting someone riding a horse.”

From Washington Times ● Oct. 26, 2023

Back in 2000, Braxton — playing a range of saxophones and clarinets — recorded several of these works with a young stand-up comedian, Alex Horwitz.

From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

After selling his clarinets in 1960, he took a scholarship at Princeton University in the US, where he focused on composition and wrote the opera Punch And Judy.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2022

The band played, and even though there were more fifes, clarinets, and flutes than booms and brass, Fern held on to Pa tighter.

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia