gramophone
Americannoun
noun
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US and Canadian name: phonograph. Also called: acoustic gramophone. a device for reproducing the sounds stored on a record: now usually applied to the nearly obsolete type that uses a clockwork motor and acoustic horn
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( as modifier )
a gramophone record
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the technique and practice of recording sound on disc
the gramophone has made music widely available
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of gramophone
First recorded in 1887; originally a trademark; apparently inversion of phonogram now obsolete name for a phonographic cylinder
Compare meaning
How does gramophone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A gramophone is an old type of record player. These days, a gramophone is a real antique. A gramophone, like a cassette player, CD player, or MP3 player, is a device for playing music. A gramophone plays records: discs with grooves that are amplified by a needle. It's a relic today, but at one time this turntable device was the chief means by which recorded music made its way to the ears of home listeners. The word was originally a trademark, and inspired the Grammy Awards (originally the Gramophone Awards), which are over fifty years old.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A Gramophone Award-winning pianist and the author of eight books—nearly all of them about the piano—Ms. Tomes brings to her work a commanding authority and an undisguised appreciation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Conducting is “like chamber music,” Mr. Vogt told Gramophone.
From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2022
Ehnes, an internationally renowned violinist — Gramophone named him artist of the year last fall — will be among the musicians performing in The Concert Truck concerts.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022
After studying under his mother, Mr. Angelich made his debut at age 7, playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, according to Gramophone.
From Washington Post • Apr. 21, 2022
Gramophone alone could give the husky tone of chronic injury, palette and brush the red eyes of resentment turned upon his kind beyond the counter.
From Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front by Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
