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wind instrument

American  
[wind] / wɪnd /

noun

  1. a musical instrument sounded by the breath or other air current, as the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, or flute.


wind instrument British  
/ wɪnd /

noun

  1. any musical instrument sounded by the breath, such as the woodwinds and brass instruments of an orchestra

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of wind instrument

First recorded in 1575–85

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.

He was crispest and most adventurous on his EWI — electronic wind instrument — on which he delivered the most convincing, sturdiest melodies with hints of sci-fi spookiness.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024

Rice, who has studied cat purring himself, criticized the use of dead over living cats, saying this experiment is “akin to removing the mouthpiece from a wind instrument and analyzing its sounds in isolation.”

From Salon • Nov. 3, 2023

Just looking at excised larynges, he says, is “akin to removing the mouthpiece from a wind instrument and analyzing its sounds in isolation.”

From Science Magazine • Oct. 3, 2023

The movie opens with a placid skyline changed by the sudden appearance of some wispy carnation-colored formations, while an ominously rippling score emerges, sounding like a wind instrument section on the attack.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 20, 2022

Figure 3.10: Standing Waves in a wind instrument are usually shown as displacement waves, with nodes at closed ends where the air cannot move back-and-forth.

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