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

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

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

There’s “White Hot Coal,” a pensive, acoustic folk rocker with violins as the ghost of an accordion.

From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026

Wilson believes that Snow Secure—the high-tech insulated polystyrene blanket that unfolds like an accordion, then drapes over a pile of snow—is just the invention.

From Slate ● Apr. 11, 2026

The company also closed a revolving credit facility of up to $200 million, with an additional accordion option of up to $50 million.

From Barron's ● Mar. 25, 2026

They kicked off their hourlong set with their 2024 track “Dios Por Delante,” which opens with a roaring accordion solo, followed by a message to live a better life than the one you inherited.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026

It was really very hot and the accordion music was pleasant in the hot night.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

“Of course we used accordions to help us,” said Jerónimo Contreras, 42, a businessman who was accompanying his elderly parents at a polling site.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

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

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

On TV, we had the White Heather Club - women in white frocks and tartan sashes dancing impossibly complicated reels and strathspeys; men in kilts playing accordions and singing kitsch songs about exile and nostalgia.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2023

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

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022

Her long, tragic sigh was like the final wheezing note played on the last accordion in all the world, moments before accordions became extinct.

From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood