symphony orchestra
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of symphony orchestra
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
As creative director, former music director Esa-Pekka Salonen will spend six weeks a season helping envision what a 21st century symphony orchestra might look like.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
That same year, Life magazine quoted an unnamed member of a symphony orchestra griping that Sinatra actually had the temerity to tell them what tempos he wanted his arrangements played in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025
When Bryant heard John’s piece for the very first time, emanating from a symphony orchestra, “Oh my God,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
Next year, he will become the first Latin American to lead the New York Philharmonic, the oldest symphony orchestra in the US.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025
Sitting with my feet on the soiled canvas I felt as though I had wandered into the percussion section of a symphony orchestra.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
