phonograph

American  

[foh-nuh-graf, -grahf] / ˈfoʊ nəˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

noun

phonographs plural

1. any sound-reproducing machine using records in the form of cylinders or discs.

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phonograph British  

/ ˈfəʊnəˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf /

noun

1. an early form of gramophone capable of recording and reproducing sound on wax cylinders

2. Also called: gramophone.   record player.  a device for reproducing the sounds stored on a record: now usually applied to the nearly obsolete type that uses a clockwork motor and acoustic horn

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• phonographs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of phonograph

1825–35 in sense “phonogram”; 1877 for the “talking phonograph” invented by T. A. Edison; phono- + -graph

Compare meaning

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

• phonograph vs. gramophone
• phonograph vs. record player

Explanation

A phonograph is a record player, an old-fashioned machine that plays music recorded on an engraved disk. The phonograph was the first machine that could both record and play sounds. Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, and it evolved first into the gramophone and then the record player or turntable. Phonographs are distinguished by the large horns through which music is broadcast. A record revolves on the phonograph's base, and when the stylus or needle is placed on top, it vibrates and reproduces the recorded sounds. The word comes from the Greek roots phono, "sound," and graph, "instrument for recording."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phonograph phonographs

An animated trailer appears to draw on the story of Korean students whose singing of the song US anthropologist Alice Fletcher recorded on a cylinder phonograph in Washington in 1896.

From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026

Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, but believed its main uses would be for office work, education and recording memories, not music.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

These funds were used to purchase local books, periodicals, phonograph records, and "other media" in multiple Indian languages, enriching collections at over two dozen universities.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2024

Ms. Stoneman made her mark in 1957 with her driving instrumental version of “Lonesome Road Blues,” which made her the first woman to play modern bluegrass banjo on a phonograph record.

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2024

A big old radio filled a dark corner, and on top of it was a cheap suitcase phonograph.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

In the home, a rich family might have one of the new phonographs that played music stored on wax cylinders, but most families were still making their own music, using sheet music or songbooks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2026

Pressing his teeth into the wood of phonographs and pianos helped Edison experience the vibrations in his skull.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2022

In a moment when live performance is either illegal or a really bad idea, the MTV Video Music Awards are a nice reminder that music has been enjoyed remotely since phonographs were high-tech.

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2020

After all, even Sousa, who warned that phonographs would harm babies, eventually allowed his music to be recorded.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 30, 2018

Anna smiled at all the lights, listening to the music from the drinking houses, the pianos, the phonographs, watching people, arm in arm, striding by in the crowded streets.

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

Related Words

• stereo