saxophone

American  

[sak-suh-fohn] / ˈsæk səˌfoʊn /

noun

• saxophones
  plural

1. a musical wind instrument consisting of a conical, usually brass tube with keys or valves and a mouthpiece with one reed.

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saxophone British  

/ ˈsæksəˌfəʊn, sækˈsɒfənɪst, ˌsæksəˈfɒnɪk /

noun

1. Often shortened to: sax.  a keyed wind instrument of mellow tone colour, used mainly in jazz and dance music. It is made in various sizes, has a conical bore, and a single reed

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saxophone Cultural  

1. A wind instrument classified as a woodwind because it is played with a reed, although it is usually made of metal. Saxophones appear mainly in jazz, dance, and military bands. They are made in several ranges, from soprano to bass.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• saxophonist
  noun
• saxophonic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• saxophones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of saxophone

1850–55; Sax ( see saxhorn) + -o- + -phone

Explanation

A saxophone is a brass instrument that you play by blowing into a mouthpiece and pressing keys to form musical notes. John Coltrane and Charlie Parker (and Lisa Simpson :) were famous saxophone players. Saxophones are similar to instruments like clarinets, because both use a reed mouthpiece and are considered woodwinds. The saxophone, however, also qualifies as a brass instrument, like the trumpet and the tuba, since it's made out of brass and makes sound through vibrations inside the instrument's body. The word saxophone comes from Antoine Joseph Sax, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone. Sax's father, also named Sax, invented the less successful saxhorn.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

saxophone saxophones

Some of these, the authors own, verge on “technological gigantism,” such as a seven-bell trumpet patented in 1859 by Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

They’ve championed the resurgence of norteño-sax, a subgenre that fuses the accordion sounds of norteño music with an invigorating alto saxophone, made popular by legendary groups like Conjunto Primavera.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Memorabilia includes a clapperboard used for The Man Who Fell To Earth, and his first instrument, a Grafton Alto saxophone bought for him by his father in 1961.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

After he was declared unfit to serve in the military due to a lung issue, he went on to play clarinet and saxophone in a band.

From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026

He would wait until everyone was asleep, then take out Michael’s gold saxophone, and start blowing, sometimes for hours.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Produced by Sandy Linzer, the record was simultaneously rooted in the past and present, blending hypnotic, churning rhythms with sympathetic strings, smooth saxophones and muted trumpets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

They were huddled, with several other members of the band, in a small studio in Khartoum, surrounded by electric guitars, keyboards, drums and saxophones, writing lyrics and recording new music.

From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026

In truth, you are hearing three saxophones, but they’re all being played simultaneously by one man.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026

Phil was juiced up with extra saxophones, brass and percussion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

All night the saxophones wailed the hopeless comment of the "Beale Street Blues" while a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald