saxophone
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of saxophone
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.
Vocabulary lists containing saxophone
Common Senses: Phon ("Sound")
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Some Obscure Eponyms
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Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We also included instruments like the bassoon, the harp, the trombone and obviously the saxophone.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
“I went to India, and had no idea whether I would ever play the saxophone professionally again,” he explained.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
One of the most unusual examples was his fascination with solo saxophone improvisations, notably on the appropriately titled “The Solo Album.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
"If you play piano, bass, saxophone, I will play with you all night," he says.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Sometimes Roger Morris pulled out his saxophone and joined in.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
