noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˌtɹɒmˈbəʊn/
UK:/tɹəmˈbəʊn/
US:/ˌtɹɑmˈboʊn/
US:/tɹəmˈboʊn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with (UK) -əʊn
rhymes with (US) -oʊn
CMU ARPABET:T R AA0 M B OW1 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
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♭).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Jim plays the trombone very well.
This trombone is very expensive.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The common European bittern.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A kind of extendable support for attaching lighting elements to a set.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To transmit a signal or data back to a central switching point before sending it out to its destination.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To extend and retract (the zoom lens); to use it too enthusiastically.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang, transitive
Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
a brass instrument consisting of a long tube whose length can be varied by a U-shaped slide
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: brass, brass instrument
Narrower terms: sackbut
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian trombone, from tromba (“trumpet”) + -one (augmentative), literally “large trumpet”. The telecommunications sense alludes to the shape of the musical instrument.
Across languages
Translations
84 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
tromboon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Arabic:
مُتَرَدِّدَة
(mutaraddida)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Arabic:
تْرُومْبُون
(trūmbūn)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Armenian:
տրոմբոն
(trombon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Basque:
tronboi
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Belarusian:
трамбо́н
(trambón)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Bulgarian:
тромбо́н
(trombón)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Burmese:
ထရွမ်းဗုန်း
(hta.rwam:bun:)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Catalan:
trombó
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Cherokee:
ᎦᏅᏌᏁᏍᏗ ᏗᏤᎷᎩᏍᏗ
(ganvsanesdi ditselugisdi)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Cherokee:
ᎦᎾᏙᏅᎩᏍᏗ
(ganadonvgisdi)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Chinese Mandarin:
長號 /长号
(chánghào)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Czech:
trombón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Czech:
pozoun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Danish:
basun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Dutch:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Esperanto:
trombono
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Estonian:
tromboon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Faroese:
basún
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Faroese:
basúna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Finnish:
pasuuna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Finnish:
vetopasuuna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
French:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Saterland Frisian:
Posaune
— a musical instrument in the brass family
West-Frisian:
tromboane
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Galician:
trombón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Georgian:
ტრომბონი
(ṭromboni)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
German:
Posaune
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Greek:
τρομπόνι
(trompóni)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hawaiian:
pū puhi uai
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hebrew:
טרומבון
(trombone)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hungarian:
harsona
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hungarian:
pozan
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hungarian:
pozaun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Hungarian:
puzón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Icelandic:
básúna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Ido:
trombono
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Indonesian:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Irish:
trombón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Italian:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Japanese:
トロンボーン
(toronbōn)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Javanese:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Kabiye:
kɩgbɩtɩnaʋ
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Kashubian:
puzon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Kazakh:
тромбон
(trombon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Korean:
트롬본
(teurombon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Latvian:
trombons
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Latvian:
bazūne
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Lithuanian:
trombonas
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Luxembourgish:
Trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Luxembourgish:
Posaun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Luxembourgish:
Trombonn
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Macedonian:
тромбон
(trombon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Malay:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Malayalam:
ട്രോംബോൺ
(ṭrōmbōṇ)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Māori:
pūkumekume
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Māori:
pūhōkai
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Marathi:
ट्रॉम्बोन
(ṭrŏmbon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Central Melanau:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Norwegian Bokmål:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Norwegian Nynorsk:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Occitan:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Persian:
ترومبون
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Plautdietsch:
Posaun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Polish:
puzon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Portuguese:
trombone
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Quechua:
trumpun
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Romanian:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Russian:
тромбо́н
(trombón)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Scottish Gaelic:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Serbo-Croatian:
тромбон
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Serbo-Croatian:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Slovak:
trombón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Slovak:
pozauna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Slovene:
pozavna
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Spanish:
trombón
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Swahili:
tromboni
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Swedish:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Tagalog:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Tamil:
துரம்போன்
(turampōṉ)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Thai:
ทรอมโบน
(trɔm-boon)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Turkish:
trombon
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Ukrainian:
тромбо́н
(trombón)
— a musical instrument in the brass family
Welsh:
trombôn
— a musical instrument in the brass family
