vibraphone

American  

[vahy-bruh-fohn] / ˈvaɪ brəˌfoʊn /

noun

1. Also vibes a musical percussion instrument that resembles a marimba and is played with mallets, but that has metal instead of wooden bars and has a set of electrically powered resonators for sustaining the tone or creating a vibrato.

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vibraphone British  

/ ˈvaɪbrəˌfəʊn, ˈvaɪbrəˌhɑːp /

noun

1. a percussion instrument, used esp in jazz, consisting of a set of metal bars placed over tubular metal resonators, which are made to vibrate electronically

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Other Word Forms

• vibraphonist noun

Etymology

Origin of vibraphone

First recorded in 1925–30; from Latin vibrā(re) “to shake” + -phone

Compare meaning

How does vibraphone compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• vibraphone vs. xylophone

Example Sentences

On “Rated OG,” he adds intriguing curlicue accents to a chord progression rendered on vibraphone as a forceful, distorted bass riff chugs along underneath.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Ayers began playing the piano at the age of five and went on to play several instruments and sing in the church choir before plumping for the vibraphone.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

It was probably the drone on the vibraphone and the birdlike chirping on flutes that induced me into a trance.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2024

It’s a striking contrast and really invited a big polarity in style and needs, from the intimacy of a vibraphone, to industrial synths and full orchestra.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2023

Music historians will always remember him as the man who introduced the vibraphone into jazz.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max