oboe
1a woodwind instrument having a slender conical, tubular body and a double-reed mouthpiece.
(in an organ) a reed stop with a sound like that of an oboe.
(a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter O.)
Origin of oboe
1Other definitions for oboe (2 of 2)
a navigation system utilizing two radar ground stations that measure the distance to an aircraft and then radio the information to the aircraft.
Origin of oboe
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use oboe in a sentence
Every breeze wafted to us the sound of French horns and oboes.
Italy; with sketches of Spain and Portugal | William BeckfordThe solos are written for soprano and contralto voices; the orchestration for strings, two oboes, and two horns.
Dr. Arne and Rule, Britannia | William Hayman CummingsThere must be an orchestra; the oboes and viols, the drums and trumpets, the violins and cellos must all be there.
The Meaning of Faith | Harry Emerson FosdickThe band consists of a tabor and pipe, four large rustic oboes, some cornets and a double-bass.
Rustic Sounds | Francis DarwinBut the 'cello, too, went down and for a bar or two the flutes and oboes sang a pæan of victory.
The Patient Observer | Simeon Strunsky
British Dictionary definitions for oboe
/ (ˈəʊbəʊ) /
a woodwind instrument of the family that includes the bassoon and cor anglais, consisting of a conical tube fitted with a mouthpiece having a double reed. It has a penetrating nasal tone. Range: about two octaves plus a sixth upwards from B flat below middle C
a person who plays this instrument in an orchestra: second oboe
Origin of oboe
1- Archaic form: hautboy
Derived forms of oboe
- oboist, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for oboe
Notes for oboe
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse