oboe

¹ American  

[oh-boh] / ˈoʊ boʊ /

noun

1. a woodwind instrument having a slender conical, tubular body and a double-reed mouthpiece.

2. (in an organ) a reed stop with a sound like that of an oboe.

3. (a word formerly used in communications to represent the letterO. )

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oboe ² American  

[oh-boh] / ˈoʊ boʊ /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. a navigation system utilizing two radar ground stations that measure the distance to an aircraft and then radio the information to the aircraft.

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oboe British  

/ ˈəʊbəʊ /

noun

1. 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

2. a person who plays this instrument in an orchestra

   second oboe

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oboe Cultural  

1. A woodwind instrument played with a double reed; similar to a bassoon, but pitched higher. Some describe its tone as nasal.

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Discover More

The oboe appears frequently as a solo instrument in symphonies and other kinds of classical music.

Other Word Forms

• oboist noun

Etymology

Origin of oboe¹

1690–1700; < Italian < French hautbois, equivalent to haut high + bois wood; hautboy

Origin of oboe¹

First recorded in 1940–45; special use of oboe ¹

Example Sentences

At some recitals he would switch among English horn, oboe d’amore and traditional oboe.

From New York Times

“By the time he got to Tindall, my options had narrowed to two unfamiliar instruments, oboe and bassoon,” she wrote.

From New York Times

Marc Lachat’s oboe could have been the jolting voice of a wild animal in the jungle.

From Los Angeles Times

At times in the first movement, the hall grew too quiet to write notes — Elder’s gentle overlay of flute, oboe, clarinet as breathtakingly light as grief is heavy.

From Washington Post

He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time.

From Washington Times