trombone

American  

[trom-bohn, trom-bohn] / trɒmˈboʊn, ˈtrɒm boʊn /

noun

trombones plural

1. a musical wind instrument consisting of a cylindrical metal tube expanding into a bell and bent twice in a U shape, usually equipped with a slide slide trombone.

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trombone British  

/ trɒmˈbəʊn /

noun

1. a brass instrument, a low-pitched counterpart of the trumpet, consisting of a tube the effective length of which is varied by means of a U-shaped slide. The usual forms of this instrument are the tenor trombone (range: about two and a half octaves upwards from E) and the bass trombone (pitched a fourth lower)

2. a person who plays this instrument in an orchestra

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trombone Cultural  

1. A brass instrument; the player can change its pitch by sliding one part of the tube in and out of the other. The tone of the trombone is mellower than that of the trumpet.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trombonist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trombones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trombone

1715–25; < Italian, equivalent to tromb ( a ) trumpet (< Provençal < Germanic; compare Old High German trumpa, trumba horn, trumpet) + -one augmentative suffix

Explanation

A trombone is a brass musical instrument with a sliding bar that changes the pitch of the notes. You play a trombone by blowing in the mouthpiece and moving the slide. A trombone looks a bit like an extra-long trumpet, and in fact the word comes from the Italian tromba, "trumpet," and the suffix -one, "large." Like trumpet players, trombone players (also called trombonists) use embouchure, a method of holding the mouth, lips, tongue, and teeth as they blow into the mouthpiece.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trombone trombones

Dan Schlosberg’s seven-player arrangement of Barber’s technicolor orchestration, conducted by Mr. Ashworth, was clever but mostly loud with prominent trumpet and trombone, contributing to a musical performance that had just one gear: ferociously strident intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

And yet, sad trombone noise: I am definitely not the first nor the last person to observe that Hitler’s arch was a whole lot bigger.

From Salon ● May 3, 2026

The pair would go on to record a total of 14 albums through 1973, with Lavoe’s talents for improvisation complementing Colón’s raw, aggressive trombone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

The famed trombonist started his music career as a child, playing the trumpet at age 12, but later shifted to his iconic trombone, playing on street corners in the neighbourhood.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026

The general sound that one would expect of a type of instrument — a trombone for example is usually called its timbre or color.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Hundreds of protesters stood outside in subzero temperatures and made as much noise as possible—banging pots, blowing whistles, drumming on buckets, blowing trombones and trumpets.

From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2026

It could be said eight violins, four violas, four cellos, three trumpets, three trombones, two guitars, and a choir of fourteen women were what finally broke up The Beatles.

From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2024

It was a stew of steelpans, trombones and pedal steel guitar.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 2, 2023

Wilson recently conducted two performances of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta “Princess Ida” on period instruments, with “tiny trombones and cornets and gut strings and everything.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2023

The marching band sets out just ahead of us, complete with trumpets and trombones and drums and cymbals.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau