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

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

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

Warming up was a little orchestra, made up of just an accordion, a battered trombone, and a musical saw that Horace played with a bow.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

“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

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

From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2024

Suddenly, the song that was a hit in the mid- to late aughts has become a norteña, a ballad from a regional Mexican genre that relies heavily on accordions and other acoustic instruments.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2023

Latin music is probably the biggest market for accordions in the world, Triggs says, with artists such as Los Tigres del Norte packing stadiums.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022

There were maps an arms’-breadth wide that folded like accordions until they could be slipped into a pocket, and dictionaries that translated words from one language into a dozen others.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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