trombone

American  

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

noun

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

• trombonist noun

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

Example Sentences

I want the algorithm to stop serving me fake videos of cats playing the trombone at 4 a.m. just because I always click on fake videos of cats playing the trombone at 4 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal

He played brass instruments: trumpet, trombone, and tuba, as well as the flute.

From Literature

In my little corner of Silver Lake, 7 p.m. commenced a daily cacophonous communal concert of pots and pans banging, trombones and trumpets blaring, dogs and coyotes howling: a grateful group roar.

From Los Angeles Times

What started as musical chairs is beginning to sound like a sad trombone.

From Los Angeles Times

“And then influenced the world, because after that all the pawn shops got rid of their trombones.”

From Los Angeles Times