This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
oboe
1[ oh-boh ]
/ ˈoʊ boʊ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a woodwind instrument having a slender conical, tubular body and a double-reed mouthpiece.
(in an organ) a reed stop with a sound like that of an oboe.
(a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter O.)
QUIZ
TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS
Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”
Question 1 of 7
What does "dignity" mean?
Origin of oboe
1Words nearby oboe
obloquy, obmutescence, obnounce, obnoxious, obnubilate, oboe, oboe da caccia, oboe d'amore, oboe d'amour, oboist, obol
Other definitions for oboe (2 of 2)
oboe2
[ oh-boh ]
/ ˈoʊ boʊ /
noun (sometimes initial capital letter)
a navigation system utilizing two radar ground stations that measure the distance to an aircraft and then radio the information to the aircraft.
Origin of oboe
2First recorded in 1940–45; special use of oboe1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use oboe in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for oboe
oboe
/ (ˈəʊbəʊ) /
noun
a woodwind instrument of the family that includes the bassoon and cor anglais, consisting of a conical tube fitted with a mouthpiece having a double reed. It has a penetrating nasal tone. Range: about two octaves plus a sixth upwards from B flat below middle C
a person who plays this instrument in an orchestrasecond oboe
Archaic form: hautboy
Derived forms of oboe
oboist, nounWord Origin for oboe
C18: via Italian oboe, phonetic approximation to French haut bois, literally: high wood (referring to its pitch)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for oboe
oboe
A woodwind instrument played with a double reed; similar to a bassoon, but pitched higher. Some describe its tone as nasal.
notes for oboe
The oboe appears frequently as a solo instrument in symphonies and other kinds of classical music.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.