Definition of TROMBONE

trombone

Plural: trombones, tromboni

Noun

  • A large brass instrument with a U-shaped slide.
  • a brass instrument consisting of a long tube whose length can be varied by a U-shaped slide
  • A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both). Most often refers to the tenor trombone, which is the most common type of trombone and has a fundamental tone of B♭ˌ (contra B♭).
  • The common European bittern.
  • A kind of extendable support for attaching lighting elements to a set.

Verb

  • To transmit a signal or data back to a central switching point before sending it out to its destination.
  • To extend and retract (the zoom lens); to use it too enthusiastically.

Examples

  • Jim plays the trombone very well.
  • Playing TROMBONE, he harmonized his tiles for a perfect bingo.
  • This trombone is very expensive.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Italian trombone, from tromba (“trumpet”) + -one (augmentative), literally “large trumpet”.
The telecommunications sense alludes to the shape of the musical instrument.

Scrabble Score: 12

trombone: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
trombone: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
trombone: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 15

trombone: valid Words With Friends Word