trumpet

American  

[truhm-pit] / ˈtrʌm pɪt /

noun

• trumpets
  plural

1. Music.

   1. any of a family of brass wind instruments with a powerful, penetrating tone, consisting of a tube commonly curved once or twice around on itself and having a cup-shaped mouthpiece at one end and a flaring bell at the other.

   2. an organ stop having a tone resembling that of a trumpet.

   3. a trumpeter.

2. something used as or resembling a trumpet, especially in sound.

3. a sound like that of a trumpet.

4. the loud shrill cry of an animal, especially an elephant.

5. ear trumpet.

6. trumpets, any of several pitcher plants of the southeastern U.S.

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verb (used without object)

• trumpets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trumpeted,
  past participle,  past
• trumpeting
  present participle

1. to blow a trumpet.

2. to emit a loud, trumpetlike cry, as an elephant.

verb (used with object)

• trumpets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trumpeted,
  past participle,  past
• trumpeting
  present participle

1. to sound on a trumpet.

2. to utter with a sound like that of a trumpet.

3. to proclaim loudly or widely.

trumpet British  

/ ˈtrʌmpɪt /

noun

1. a valved brass instrument of brilliant tone consisting of a narrow tube of cylindrical bore ending in a flared bell, normally pitched in B flat. Range: two and a half octaves upwards from F sharp on the fourth line of the bass staff

2. any instrument consisting of a valveless tube ending in a bell, esp a straight instrument used for fanfares, signals, etc

3. a person who plays a trumpet in an orchestra

4. a loud sound such as that of a trumpet, esp when made by an animal

   the trumpet of the elephants

5. an eight-foot reed stop on an organ

6. something resembling a trumpet in shape, esp in having a flared bell

7. short for ear trumpet

8. to boast about oneself; brag

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verb

1. to proclaim or sound loudly

trumpet Cultural  

1. A brass instrument with a brilliant tone, much used in classical music, as well as in military music and jazz.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trumpet-like
  adjective
• trumpetless
  adjective
• trumpetlike
  adjective
• untrumpeted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trumpets
  plural

Participles

• trumpeting
  present
• trumpeted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• trumpet
  simple
• trumpets
  simple
• have trumpeted
  perfect
• has trumpeted
  perfect
• am trumpeting
  progressive
• are trumpeting
  progressive
• is trumpeting
  progressive
• have been trumpeting
  perfect progressive
• has been trumpeting
  perfect progressive

Past

• trumpeted
  simple
• had trumpeted
  perfect
• was trumpeting
  progressive
• were trumpeting
  progressive
• had been trumpeting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will trumpet
  simple
• will have trumpeted
  perfect
• will be trumpeting
  progressive
• will have been trumpeting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of trumpet

1300–50; Middle English trumpette, trompette < French, equivalent to trompe trump ² + -ette -et

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Explanation

A trumpet is a brass instrument that you play by blowing into its mouthpiece and pressing valves to form notes. If your older brother has trouble getting up in the morning, you can help him out by practicing your trumpet outside his bedroom door at six a.m. Trumpets fall under the category of brass instruments, along with tubas and saxophones. When you play a trumpet, you need to use something called embouchure, the proper shaping of your mouth and lips so your breath buzzes against the mouthpiece in just the right way. Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis were famous jazz trumpet players. As a verb, to trumpet is to announce something very loudly, as if you were playing it on a trumpet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trumpet trumpets trumpeted trumpeting

Collins, more than most appropriators, likes to trumpet the dollars she brings home.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Traditional elements of both bachata and música mexicana appear, as the duo touts their luxurious lifestyles over a lisping guiro and a rousing trumpet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

That lonely trumpet, though, is but one element in Mr. Adams’s kaleidoscopic evocation of a once-unimaginable act.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Edwin Díaz enters from the bullpen to the trumpet track “Narco.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

Instead I took my trumpet out of its case, wiping it slowly and carefully with a little gray cloth.

From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee

Produced by Sandy Linzer, the record was simultaneously rooted in the past and present, blending hypnotic, churning rhythms with sympathetic strings, smooth saxophones and muted trumpets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

There are brief Mexican accents, such as the mariachi-style trumpets that precede the market scene.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Not a day goes by that I don’t read a headline that trumpets the shortage of estrogen patches, which are used to treat the bothersome symptoms of perimenopause and menopause.

From MarketWatch ● May 12, 2026

And the minute I heard that guitar blazing, that was it for trombones and trumpets.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026

There was a flourish of trumpets above the stage.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

We trumpeted their classy goals and their adventurous play a week ago and wrongly assumed that they had gumption to go with it.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

When they landed the diving competition for the 2028 Summer Olympics last year, operators of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena trumpeted it as a gold-medal achievement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

While the tech has changed since then, the principles the court trumpeted today are evergreen.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Though many big companies have trumpeted their return-to-office mandates, the evidence suggests that the return to the office has stalled out across the broader economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Presently the leader trumpeted softly and the grazers moved away.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

In recent months, the AI companies have flaunted the capabilities of their models by trumpeting advances in combinatorial geometry and algebraic number theory, turning math into an unlikely form of advertising.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

But it wasn’t just Fox News trumpeting the study.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026

But China's own statements have been circumspect, saying it backs the ceasefire but hardly trumpeting its own diplomacy.

From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026

And a triumphant U.S. president trumpeting a quick and easy campaign.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026

When a policyholder died, Spaulding placed advertisements trumpeting the delivery of the Mutual check as if the person had won the lottery.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

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Related Words

• advertise
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• publish
• tout

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