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kazoo

kazoo

9 7.9
A small instrument that makes a buzzing sound when you hum into it
  • noun
  • /kəˈzu/
: mirlitón
  • I took out the kazoo and hummed through it one of the new songs I'd been thinking up.

You're going to do more of a kazoo thing.

Examples

  • Swan wrote a comedic skit incorporating the resident's unique talent and her assortment of kazoos.

    Blog text (22)
  • Then I lifted the kazoo to my lips.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • You could play the kazoo; those are always noisy!

    Blog text (22)
  • At this year's auditions, a resident told her she loves playing the kazoo and has a collection of them.

    Blog text (22)
  • I went to the little store on the corner of East 83rd Street and Compton and bought a cheap kazoo.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • After midnight, he and my dad might wander over drunkenly to play for us "I'm Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover" on kazoos, arms around each other, though they didn't get along ordinarily.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • At the birthday party, the children took turns playing the kazoo and making funny sounds.

  • She played a cheerful tune on her kazoo, and everyone joined in with laughter.

  • During the music class, each student received a kazoo to learn how to create buzzing sounds.

Synonyms

mirliton
vskazoo
  • Archaic
9.9

A small instrument like a kazoo that makes a buzzing sound when you hum into it

is the common everyday name for that same simple buzzing humming instrument

How Loud

tuba
21 3.7
trumpet
109 2.5
kazoo
9 7.9
harmonica
31 2.9

Surface Forms

kazoo singular
kazoos plural

Etymology

Kazoo is probably a sound word that copies the small 'buzzing' noise you make when you hum into it, so the name itself sounds like 'kaa-zoo'. That's why kazoo is a fitting name for a small musical instrument that makes a funny buzzing sound.