concertina

American  

[kon-ser-tee-nuh] / ˌkɒn sərˈti nə /

noun

1. a musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range.

2. concertina wire.

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verb (used without object)

concertinaed, concertinaing

1. to fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

   The car concertinaed when it hit the truck.

verb (used with object)

concertinaed, concertinaing

1. to cause to fold or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a concertina.

   concertina pleats.

concertina British  

/ ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə /

noun

1. a small hexagonal musical instrument of the reed organ family in which metallic reeds are vibrated by air from a set of bellows operated by the player's hands. Notes are produced by pressing buttons

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verb

1. (intr) to collapse or fold up like a concertina

Other Word Forms

• concertinist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of concertina

Apparently coined by the original instrument's inventor, English instrument-maker Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), who patented it in 1829; cf. concertino, seraphina a similar instrument

Example Sentences

Behind the concertina wire encircling the bases, Germans could experience American bowling alleys and drive-in theaters.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

The concertina wire used to barricade the road has been moved to one side and local people and flocks of sheep can be seen making their way down.

From BBC • Jul. 11, 2025

After weeks of desperation, migrants pass a toddler under a tangle of concertina wire strung across the edge of U.S. soil.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2024

They were headed, about 150 of them, for the demilitarized zone: the narrow buffer strip between North and South Korea that is heavily guarded by concertina wire and rifle-toting soldiers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

She says that crews are busy locking away the beaches behind a network of concertina wire and huge wooden jacks called chevaux de frise.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr