Beethoven

American  

[bey-toh-vuhn, beyt-hoh-fuhn] / ˈbeɪ toʊ vən, ˈbeɪt hoʊ fən /

noun

1. Ludwig van 1770–1827, German composer.

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Beethoven British  

/ ˈbeɪtˌhəʊvən /

noun

1. Ludwig van (ˈluːtvɪç fan). 1770–1827, German composer, who greatly extended the form and scope of symphonic and chamber music, bridging the classical and romantic traditions. His works include nine symphonies, 32 piano sonatas, 16 string quartets, five piano concertos, a violin concerto, two masses, the opera Fidelio (1805), and choral music

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Other Word Forms

• Beethovenian adjective
• Beethovian adjective

Example Sentences

In the first, he led a brilliantly played performance of Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony, which speaks well for a fall season that will rely heavily on Beethoven.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

“Human beings are free wherever Wagner and Beethoven are played,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Rosenzweig was born in Kassel in 1886, into a German-Jewish bourgeoisie for which Beethoven, Goethe and the Frankfurter Zeitung newspaper were as formative as the Torah had once been.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

The Beethoven biographer Jan Swafford put it this way: “ ‘Missa Solemnis’ is Beethoven talking to God, man to man.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

A billion more each came from Buddha and Genghis Khan and Beethoven, and any other historical figure you care to name.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson