bagpipes

British

/ ˈbæɡˌpaɪps /

plural noun

any of a family of musical wind instruments in which sounds are produced in reed pipes supplied with air from a bag inflated either by the player's mouth, as in the Irish bagpipes or Highland bagpipes of Scotland, or by arm-operated bellows, as in the Northumbrian bagpipes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Still, they left enough of an impression from the bars of Back Bay to the stands at Fenway Park that Boston’s hottest accessory this summer might just be a set bagpipes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

We are sure that England fans will match the Scottish party atmosphere and be equally brilliant guests, minus the bagpipes.

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026

Katie Robertson's passion for the bagpipes has gained her thousands of followers online.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Testing the human animal’s tolerance for plaintive fiddles, wheezy bagpipes, Peter Coyote and the whispery recitations of diary entries, “The American Revolution” is the most Ken Burns-y of Ken Burns series.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

As they drew level the bagpipes fell silent.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023