bugle
1 Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
to sound a bugle.
-
(of bull elks) to utter a rutting call.
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
adjective
noun
verb
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
buglesimple
-
buglessimple
-
have bugledperfect
-
has bugledperfect
-
am buglingprogressive
-
are buglingprogressive
-
is buglingprogressive
-
have been buglingperfect progressive
-
has been buglingperfect progressive
Past
-
bugledsimple
-
had bugledperfect
-
was buglingprogressive
-
were buglingprogressive
-
had been buglingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bugle1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bugle, bugel, bewgal “wild ox, buffalo, water buffalo, drinking horn, (instrument) horn, bugle,” from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin būculus “young bull, bullock, young ox,” equivalent to bū- variant stem of bōs “cow, ox, bull” + -culus diminutive noun suffix; see origin at -cle 1, cow 1
Origin of bugle2
First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English bugle, bugil, buygel, bewgle, from Old French, from Late Latin būgillo the name of the plant; further origin uncertain
Origin of bugle3
First recorded in 1570–80; of obscure origin; perhaps an extended sense of bugle 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A bugle is a very simple brass instrument. Bugles are commonly used in the military to mark parts of the day, including first thing in the morning. Bugles are notable for their lack of valves — instead of controlling pitch with the fingers, a bugler does it entirely with her lips on the mouthpiece. The traditional bugle call is the series of notes used in military camps to signal daybreak and dusk, and sometimes other daily routines. Bugle was originally an Old French word meaning "musical horn," but also "wild ox" or "buffalo." The "horn" meaning came from the curled shape of an animal's horn.
Vocabulary lists containing bugle
Top 50 Wordle Words of 2024
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Musical Instruments - Introductory
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Musical Instruments - Middle School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
City Hall, which dates to the 16th century, toots out a cheerful jazz bugle call several times a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025
Morris held the microphone with both hands like he was blowing on a bugle and urging the crowd to charge.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2025
Last semester a bugle horn blared "Taps" inside my head after I assigned a review of "Kontemporary Amerikkan Poetry."
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2023
Downes worries more about someone poaching Bruiser, and people who used to bugle to get Bruiser riled up during the rut when he was still new to the island.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 7, 2023
“One of die things you get to know,” Tom Chamberlain was saying, “is that this here brigade has got its own special bugle call. You ever hear tell of Dan Butterfield?”
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
Some 4,000 troops marched in formation through the streets, their scarlet sleeves and white gloves swinging in unison to the sound of drums and bugles from marching bands, including one group of musicians on horseback.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2023
Indeed, I didn’t know about salmon runs, elk bugles and warbler migration routes like my classmates did.
From Scientific American ● Apr. 22, 2022
Firefighters waved from the back of an old truck festooned with fairy lights and Christmas gifts, while officers of the Guardia Civil police force rode in on white horses blowing bugles.
From Reuters ● Jan. 5, 2022
Standing alongside their nurses and listening to the bugles play, residents with dementia who often could not remember what they had for dinner the night before would slowly remove their hats.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2020
At last, bugles blared, drums rolled, and the parade began.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
“I’m coming up here to be the best player in the country,” he bugled, and The Fiver’s not about to mock a man for being self-confident.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 15, 2016
It is bugled as "the New Definition of Dictionary," the "newest, biggest and best."
From Time Magazine Archive
She bugled that the party would "operate as usual."
From Time Magazine Archive
For months, the government had bugled Canada's eagerness to be elected to the United Nations Security Council.
From Time Magazine Archive
"It was as though the very constellations knew our impending sorrow," he bugled, his head raised to the ceiling, his voice full-throated.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
The drivable North Carolina side of the park is much less crowded; this old high-mountain valley has huge herds of elk you can hear bugling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2018
He plays in several bands with his wife, Carol Kowzan, and has just picked up viola, so he wouldn’t mind slowing down his bugling career.
From Washington Times ● May 23, 2015
If you want precision, use the scientific name, Grus grus, which is onomatopoeic, recalling the birds’ powerful bugling calls.
From Newsweek ● Mar. 12, 2015
As the summer's end draws near, bull elk can be heard bugling throughout the region.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2011
Blackbirds were calling, and we heard our first crane bugling high in the sky.
From The Trail of the Goldseekers A Record of Travel in Prose and Verse by Garland, Hamlin
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.
