Skip to main content
to instrument

to instrument

1 7.9
To write music so different instruments can play together
  • verb
  • /ˈɪnstrəmənt/
  • Specialized
: orquestar
  • She will instrument the song for piano and strings, creating a beautiful arrangement.

Examples

  • After finishing the melody, he began to instrument it for a jazz band to perform.

  • Our dream is to instrument, eventually, a one-kilometer cube of Antarctic ice.

    Academic text (2000)
  • It can be very helpful to smaller schools whose major ensembles may not be fully instrumented, and it can give extra performance opportunities to the outstanding students in larger schools.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The composer decided to instrument the piece for a full orchestra to enhance its sound.

Synonyms

to score
vsto instrument
  • Specialized
19 7.0

To write music for a film or play

emphasizes creating performing arrangements rather than only producing notation
to arrange
vsto instrument
10 4.6

To change a song or other work so it can be performed in a new way

focuses more narrowly on producing new performing parts rather than general adaptation
to orchestrate
vsto instrument
  • Specialized
2 6.8

To arrange music for an orchestra to play

focuses on arranging musical parts generally, not only for large ensembles
to instrumentate
vsto instrument
  • Specialized
9.9

To write parts for different instruments in a piece of music

is the same action but expressed in a different stylistic verb form

Antonyms

95 4.0

Do something without planning, using what you have

Compounds

A thing like a piano or guitar that you play to make music

stringed instrument
  • Specialized
6 2.9

A musical instrument that makes sound when its strings are played, like a guitar or violin

A flat panel with dials and lights that shows condition and helps control a vehicle or machine

Tool like a microscope used to study or measure things

surgical instrument
  • Specialized
4 3.8

A tool a surgeon uses during an operation to cut, hold, or move body tissue

A thing you hit, shake, or scrape to make sound in music

A tool doctors use to check, treat, or operate on patients

A tool made to cause severe pain to punish or force someone

debt instrument
  • Specialized
2 6.1

A document or digital record, like a bond, that shows someone owes money and when they must pay it back

An instrument that makes sound when you blow air through it, like a flute or trumpet

A rough, not precise way to solve a problem that often causes harm

brass instrument
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A musical instrument played by blowing and making your lips buzz on a metal mouthpiece, like a trumpet or trombone

A tool that measures things like size or weight

derivative instrument
  • Specialized
1 8.7

A financial product whose value comes from something like a stock or bond

A musical instrument that makes sound using electricity

1 6.1

A formal written document that creates a legal right or agreement

A musical instrument that makes sound when you blow air, often using a reed, like a clarinet or oboe

1 4.1

A tool that shows you direction or position to help you find your way, for example a compass

An instrument that makes sound when a reed vibrates, like a clarinet or saxophone

optical instrument
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A device with lenses or mirrors that helps you see things clearly

negotiable instrument
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A written paper that promises payment of a certain amount to a named person or the holder when due

instrument landing
  • Specialized
1 6.2

To land a plane using only instruments when the pilot cannot see the runway

surveying instrument
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A tool that measures distance, angles, and height to map land

A device used to punish people for crimes

A musical instrument you play by hitting, shaking, or scraping, like a drum

instrument flying
  • Specialized
1 6.7

To fly a plane using only instruments without seeing the ground or horizon

A device that makes musical sounds using electricity, like a synthesizer or keyboard

A musical machine with keys you press to make notes, like a piano or organ

drafting instrument
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A tool that helps make exact drawings like plans or blueprints

A way for electronic instruments and computers to send musical data to each other

free-reed instrument
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A wind instrument that makes sound when air moves a thin reed, like an accordion or harmonica

The act of signing a legal document so it becomes legally binding

commercial instrument
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A legal document that businesses use to make or record payments

1 5.0

A musical instrument that makes sound with two reeds, like an oboe or bassoon

1 9.8

A formal contract with a wax or raised mark that shows it is real

A string instrument played with a bow, like a violin

A tool used by the state to put a person to death

surveyor's instrument
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A device that measures and maps land, buildings, or boundaries

1 9.9

A telescope set east–west to record the exact time a star crosses the north–south line in the sky

A musical instrument that makes sound when a thin piece of wood or cane vibrates as you blow

7.4

A rocket that flies to check equipment and systems

A device that measures the time difference between two events very precisely

A musical instrument like a clarinet or saxophone that makes sound when air passes one reed

How Orchestrated

to orchestrate
  • Specialized
2 6.8
to instrument
  • Specialized
1 7.9
to arrange
10 4.6
to sketch
66 3.0

Surface Forms

instrument infinitive
instrumented past participle
instrumenting present participle
instruments third person singular

Etymology

Instrument comes from the Latin instrumentum and instruere meaning 'to equip' or 'put together'. So to instrument a melody is to arrange or set it up for real instruments, giving each part to the players.