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record player

record player

18 3.0
A machine that plays music from vinyl discs using a needle
  • noun
  • /ˈrɛkərd ˈpleɪər/
translation icon : tocadiscos
  • Everyone danced when I played my favorite album on the record player.

I just got for the first time a record player.

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Examples

  • I had Black Flag, my war side too, on my record player for, you know, maybe even a year where that's just what I listen to.

  • Mrs. Trujillo had conjured a record player from somewhere and had put on some music.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Let us at least buy the record player.

  • You see that old record player over there?

  • I love this record player.

  • Do you want me to put that on the record player?

  • You have a record player?

  • Someone had put the record player on in the living room.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Chamber music is playing on the record player, a sad, slow melody perfect for a warm summer's night.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Becky started with a little tap dance, accompanied by her portable record player, which she'd set up outside.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

player
vsrecord player
  • Specialized
220 1.6

A device or program that lets you watch video and hear audio files

is specific to rotating discs using a stylus and an amplifier
turntable
vsrecord player
17 3.9

A flat round platform that spins records to play music

includes the stylus and amplifier to reproduce sound, not only the rotating platform
phonograph
vsrecord player
  • Archaic
14 8.8

A machine that plays music from old records

focuses on rotating discs played with a stylus and an amplifier
gramophone
vsrecord player
  • Archaic
8 9.2

An old machine that plays music from records using a needle

uses electronic amplification and modern components rather than only acoustic sound

How Automatic

jukebox
62 4.7
record player
18 3.0
turntable
17 3.9

Surface Forms

record player singular

Morphology

record + player

The meaning is directly compositional: 'record' (a vinyl disc) + 'player' (a device that plays media) yields 'a device that plays records.' This regular noun+noun compounding pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows straightforward English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Record player comes from the simple idea of a machine that 'plays' flat discs called records. A small needle runs in the disc's grooves and makes the sound, so the name literally means a player for records, which is why we use it for a device that plays vinyl music.