tuba
Americannoun
plural
tubas, tubae-
Music.
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a valved, brass wind instrument having a low range.
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an organ reed stop of large scale with tones of exceptional power.
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an ancient Roman trumpet.
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Meteorology. funnel cloud.
noun
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a valved brass instrument of bass pitch, in which the bell points upwards and the mouthpiece projects at right angles. The tube is of conical bore and the mouthpiece cup-shaped
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any other bass brass instrument such as the euphonium, helicon, etc
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a powerful reed stop on an organ
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a form of trumpet of ancient Rome
Etymology
Origin of tuba
1850–55; < Latin: trumpet; akin to tube
Explanation
A tuba is a large brass instrument that you play by blowing into its mouthpiece. In a marching band, the tuba player plays the lowest, deepest notes (and also has to lug around her tuba). The tuba is the biggest, and among the newest, of all the brass instruments. Tuba players create the low-pitched sound by making a kind of "buzz" with their breath against the mouthpiece and pressing the tuba's valves to form notes. In an orchestra, a tuba player holds the instrument on her lap, while a tuba player in a marching band would use a sousaphone tuba, or helicon, a lighter tuba that can be worn across a shoulder.
Vocabulary lists containing tuba
Musical Instruments - Introductory
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Musical Instruments - Middle School
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Musical Instruments - High School
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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.
Trombones bleat, a tuba bellows, drums are the heart.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
In the course of his research, Mr. Quinones came to admire the independence of tuba players, the way they remain undaunted in the face of the “disdain or indifference” of their peers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025
In short, life in the spotlight is not the life of a tuba player.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025
The tuba couldn’t be more different, requiring as it does the nurturing of “that precious breath.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025
Bongo can also do a passable tuba, an impressive Chihuahua, and a fine police siren.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.