xylophone

noun

xy·​lo·​phone ˈzī-lə-ˌfōn How to pronounce xylophone (audio)
 also  ˈzi-
: a percussion instrument consisting of a series of wooden bars graduated in length to produce the musical scale, supported on belts of straw or felt, and sounded by striking with two small wooden hammers
xylophonist
ˈzī-lə-ˌfō-nist How to pronounce xylophone (audio)
 also  ˈzi-
noun

Illustration of xylophone

Illustration of xylophone

Examples of xylophone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Instruments like ukuleles and xylophones escaped elementary schools and invaded YouTube. Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Aug. 2024 To represent the spirits’ return, men dress in masks and plant-fiber costumes and dance through the streets accompanied by drums and xylophones. Matt Ralphs, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Oct. 2024 Lowing strings and luminous horns were punctuated by brisk xylophones. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Janis started out playing the xylophone before moving with his mother, Hattie, and sister in 1936 to New York to study piano with Josef and Rosina Lhévinne and then Adele Marcus. Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for xylophone 

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of xylophone was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near xylophone

Cite this Entry

“Xylophone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xylophone. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

xylophone

noun
xy·​lo·​phone ˈzī-lə-ˌfōn How to pronounce xylophone (audio)
: a musical instrument consisting of a series of wooden bars varying in length and sounded by striking with two wooden hammers
xylophonist noun
Etymology

from Greek xylo- "wood, of wood" (from xylon "wood") and English -phone "sound, a sound-producing device"

More from Merriam-Webster on xylophone

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