record player

American  

noun

record players plural

1. phonograph.

---

record player British  

noun

1. a device for reproducing the sounds stored on a record, consisting of a turntable, usually electrically driven, that rotates the record at a fixed speed of 33, 45, or (esp formerly) 78 revolutions a minute. A stylus vibrates in accordance with undulations in the groove in the record: these vibrations are converted into electric currents, which, after amplification, are recreated in the form of sound by one or more loudspeakers See also monophonic quadraphonics stereophonic

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• record players
  plural

Etymology

Origin of record player

First recorded in 1930–35

Compare meaning

How does record-player compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• phonograph vs. record player

Example Sentences

“The minute you can get a $99 VCR at Urban Outfitters, as you can with a record player, then the sky’s the limit.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

These included a record player positioned on a table next to the bed for optimal roll-over needle drops and a disorganized assortment of motorcycle magazines and ’50s and ’60s 7” singles scattered across the floor.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

In 2023, Luminate found that only 50% of consumers who paid for vinyl over the previous 12 months actually had a record player.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

The Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter spun endlessly on an old record player while Roy worked on her architecture school thesis.

From BBC • Sep. 4, 2025

Even the Brown Bomber seemed to get quieter as the V.D.L.A.I. arm from the record player lifted itself and moved toward the 45 that was on the turntable.

From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis