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

See Examples For:

record player

But however perfect the name, it has nothing to do with some genius of a marketer marrying the then-new rock-’n’-roll craze with the old Victrola record player brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 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

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

Ten or 12 years ago, I went to my friend’s house in Los Angeles and he has a record player.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2025

Even before the war, a third of all homes in Great Britain alone had a record player.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall