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tone arm

American  
Or tonearm

noun

  1. the free-swinging bracket of a phonograph containing the pickup.


tone arm British  

noun

  1. another name for pick-up

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tone arm

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

The way that I listen when I’m truly enthralled by a particular piece of music certainly feels like a crush—picking up the tone arm, hitting the back button, refreshing the browser, over and over.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 26, 2018

A Grammy Award is made of a base, a cabinet and a tone arm that holds the bell.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2017

He jokes that he may have invented scratching, the now familiar hip-hop technique, when somebody bumped into his turntable and sent the tone arm skittering across one of the records.

From BusinessWeek • Aug. 7, 2014

Aside from its sleek appearance, other highlighted features include a high-quality Ortofon 2M needle, precision belt drive and motor, and a beautifully delicate carbon tone arm.

From Time • Nov. 29, 2013

Someone trying to change a record dropped the tone arm down and broke the crystal.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

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