bagpipe
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bagpipe
First recorded in 1300–50, bagpipe is from the Middle English word baggepipe. See bag, pipe 1
Explanation
A bagpipe is a musical instrument that's played by blowing into a bag through a pipe. The bagpipes are commonly associated with Scotland. It's more common to use the plural form — bagpipes — or even "the pipes" or "a set of pipes." The music produced by bagpipes is distinctive, with a constant harmonizing sound being produced by the drone pipe, and no rests between notes. The bagpipe player squeezes the bag with his arm as he blows a pipe called a chanter, and in formal situations he might wear a kilt and knee socks.
Vocabulary lists containing bagpipe
Music to My Ears: Instrumental Vocab
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Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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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.
See Examples For:
Other shows retooled their broadcasts to share fond memories of Kirk, between visual tiles crafted in tribute to his life and accompanying bursts of bagpipe processions.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2025
A bagpipe and drum band played at the service, which also was attended by Gov. Ned Lamont and other state leaders.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
The parade showcased Gaelic Athletic Club members demonstrating their hurling skills, bagpipe players, antique fire trucks and lots of green items, including cotton candy, plaid hats and stuffed animals.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2024
West, who says Morgan didn’t write the finale until after the queen’s death, was deeply moved by the bagpipe player in the episode, which takes its name from the song he performs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
It was in every report, as if Sasha had been on the way home from bagpipe practice.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
His son John was also a war hero, before teaching bagpiping to the people of Banbury and starting the pipe band.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
The family were music lovers, with a strong tradition of bagpiping, and they were all talented tailors, including Donnie.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2025
But bagpiping, it turns out, is a pursuit that has yet to find much of a toehold in China, meaning becoming one of those skilled hands is not easy.
From New York Times ● Feb. 12, 2022
The margins of early printed books are full of waggish doodles—a bagpiping monkey, a knight jousting with a snail.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 26, 2019
The scene reminds you strongly of the Sonneurs of Brittany and the Zampognari from the Abruzzian Highlands bagpiping before the Madonna.
From Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volume 1 by Sir Richard Francis Burton
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.
