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oboe

oboe

13 5.0
A wooden instrument like a small flute that makes a clear high sound using a double reed
  • noun
  • /oʊˈboʊ/
translation icon : oboe
  • The oboe is known for its clear, penetrating tone and is often used in orchestras.
  • oboes and flutes
  • oboe, clarinet
  • oboe, bassoon

Take piano lessons, take lessons on the guitar, take drum lessons, bass lessons, take lessons on the saxophone, the trumpet, the trombone, the oboe.

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Examples

  • I knew there were issues with the oboe's playing, but I wasn't sure how to address it.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Or that I play the oboe in the city symphony.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I like to play the oboe too.

  • Especially during that oboe solo.

  • And you play the oboe.

  • So you play the oboe.

  • On the other hand, the oboe is most surely a genuine musical instrument.

    Academic text (2014)
  • Your oboe recital was at 4:00.

  • She plays the oboe, for chrissakes.

  • A person most likely needs to practice to play an oboe well—sometimes for an agonizingly long time.

    Academic text (2014)

Synonyms

hautboy
vsoboe
  • Archaic
9.9

A thin wind instrument like an oboe used in early music

is the modern standard known for a clear penetrating tone
hautbois
vsoboe
  • Archaic
9.9

A wind instrument with two thin reeds that you blow between used in Baroque music

is used more broadly and is noted for its clear penetrating tone

Compounds

basset oboe
  • Specialized
9.4

An oboe that plays lower notes and sounds deeper and softer than a normal oboe

oboe da caccia
  • Archaic
9.9

A curved, low wind instrument used in Baroque music

oboe d'amore
  • Specialized
9.9

A musical instrument like an oboe but lower and warmer, used in Baroque music

How High

piccolo
5 7.5
flute
75 1.5
oboe
13 5.0
English horn
1 6.1
bassoon
8 7.4

Surface Forms

oboe singular
oboes plural

Etymology

Oboe comes from an old French word hautbois, made from haut 'high' and bois 'wood'. So an oboe is like a 'high wood' instrument, which explains its clear, high sound.