symphony orchestra

American  

noun

1. a large orchestra composed of wind, string, and percussion instruments and organized to perform symphonic compositions.

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symphony orchestra British  

noun

1. music an orchestra capable of performing symphonies, esp the large orchestra comprising strings, brass, woodwind, harp, and percussion

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Etymology

Origin of symphony orchestra

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Phil announcing it was all in with its transformative former music director and had created a new position of creative director in which he would rethink the role of the symphony orchestra in society.

From Los Angeles Times

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour put a symphony orchestra on stage alongside the actors in a savage satire which dramatised the plight of Soviet dissidents locked away in mental hospitals.

From BBC

It’s a grand work operating on the largest scale, with a symphony orchestra, choirs and odes to saints rendered in many languages.

From The Wall Street Journal

It supports nine full-time professional symphony orchestras and nearly as many concert halls.

From Los Angeles Times

In symphony orchestras, the lone tuba is relegated to the back row, and the player’s face is sometimes obscured by the bell.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chamber orchestra