instrument
269
1.9
- noun
- /ˈɪnstrəmənt/
- During music class, each student was given an instrument to learn how to play simple tunes together.
- play instruments
- musical instruments
- percussion instruments
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Watch on YouTubeWe have the rhythms, we have the instruments, and we have the melodies.
- We have the rhythms, we have the instruments, and we have the melodies.
- What distinguishes A harpsichord from other instruments is that the strings are plucked.
- Like when you're playing music and the last instrument is put down, the song is over.
- And then they do have this instrument, mouth harp.
- I feel like breaking instruments is in the same vein as burning books.
- Sunday you can hear an instrument, but you can feel your heart.
- But yeah, playing instruments, working out, hand eye coordination.
Examples
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They buy fine wine, classic cars, musical instruments, rare books, and so on.
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I can play for hours on any instrument, and it is like being in heaven.
Academic text (2012) -
I would rather be able to play an instrument again than walk.
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And I see that your instrument is the guitar.
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Finally working with people that can play instruments.
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The student arrives, sits down at the instrument, and plays a beautiful Chinese piece.
Academic text (2015) -
The banjo, one of the key instruments of country music, is from Africa.
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In these music classes, children sang, moved, played instruments, and listened to and responded to music.
Academic text (2015) -
It's a musical instrument.
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She doesn't even play an instrument.
Synonyms
24
2.3
A thing like a piano or guitar that you play to make music
Antonyms
Compounds
- Specialized
6
2.9
A musical instrument that makes sound when its strings are played, like a guitar or violin
5
3.9
A flat panel with dials and lights that shows condition and helps control a vehicle or machine
- Specialized
4
3.8
A tool a surgeon uses during an operation to cut, hold, or move body tissue
- Specialized
2
6.1
A document or digital record, like a bond, that shows someone owes money and when they must pay it back
2
3.1
An instrument that makes sound when you blow air through it, like a flute or trumpet
- Specialized
1
3.4
A musical instrument played by blowing and making your lips buzz on a metal mouthpiece, like a trumpet or trombone
- Specialized
1
8.7
A financial product whose value comes from something like a stock or bond
1
3.6
A musical instrument that makes sound when you blow air, often using a reed, like a clarinet or oboe
- Specialized
1
4.1
A tool that shows you direction or position to help you find your way, for example a compass
1
4.1
An instrument that makes sound when a reed vibrates, like a clarinet or saxophone
- Specialized
1
4.1
A device with lenses or mirrors that helps you see things clearly
- Specialized
1
8.0
A written paper that promises payment of a certain amount to a named person or the holder when due
- Specialized
1
6.2
To land a plane using only instruments when the pilot cannot see the runway
- Specialized
1
5.1
A tool that measures distance, angles, and height to map land
1
3.9
A musical instrument you play by hitting, shaking, or scraping, like a drum
- 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
1
3.1
A musical machine with keys you press to make notes, like a piano or organ
- Specialized
1
4.9
A tool that helps make exact drawings like plans or blueprints
- Specialized
1
3.9
A way for electronic instruments and computers to send musical data to each other
- Specialized
1
7.9
A wind instrument that makes sound when air moves a thin reed, like an accordion or harmonica
- Formal
1
9.3
The act of signing a legal document so it becomes legally binding
- Specialized
1
6.9
A legal document that businesses use to make or record payments
- Specialized
1
5.0
A musical instrument that makes sound with two reeds, like an oboe or bassoon
- Specialized
1
5.8
A device that measures and maps land, buildings, or boundaries
- Archaic
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
- Specialized
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 Portable
31
2.9
191
1.8
742
1.0
269
1.9
1
4.1
10
3.0
5
5.3
Surface Forms
Etymology
Instrument comes from the Latin instrumentum, from instruere meaning 'to equip' or 'put together', the same root you see in structure. So a musical instrument is literally a tool made and prepared to produce sound.