Meanings
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1
noun
a low-pitched brass instrument whose tube is usually lengthened and shortened with a movable slide
The trombone added a broad, mellow line beneath the trumpet melody.
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2
noun
a trombone player or the trombone section of an ensemble, by metonymy
The first trombone stood to play the solo passage.
Thesaurus
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian trombone, literally 'large trumpet,' from tromba, 'trumpet,' + the augmentative suffix -one. The name refers to the instrument's larger size and lower register relative to an early trumpet.