brass band

American  

noun

Music.

1. a band made up principally of brass wind instruments.

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brass band British  

noun

1. See band 1

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brass band Cultural  

1. A musical group composed of brass and percussion instruments. Sometimes called marching bands, brass bands often play at athletic events and military exercises and in parades.

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Etymology

Origin of brass band

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

A brass band played lively jazz, while a man made giant bubbles with a pair of sticks and clowns sold balloon animals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

The audience rose as a brass band began to play upon the arrival of the royal family, who sat in their box in the famous concert hall.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

A brass band cracks the calm, something between ska and Basque tradition, loud and local.

From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025

Kicking through a moat with a brass band on an in-the-round riser that vaulted him over the main stage field.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

They strolled around the lake, bought tea at a stall, and rented deck chairs to listen to elderly men of the Salvation Army playing Elgar adapted for brass band.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan