trumpet
/ˈtɹʌmpɪt/ noun, verb
Forms trumpets trumpeting trumpeted
- noun (music) A musical instrument of the brass family, generally tuned to the key of B-flat; by extension, any type of lip-vibrated aerophone, most often valveless and not chromatic. “The royal herald sounded a trumpet to announce their arrival.”
- noun Someone who plays the trumpet; a trumpeter. “The trumpets were assigned to stand at the rear of the orchestra pit.”
- noun The cry of an elephant, or any similar loud cry. “The large bull gave a basso trumpet as he charged the hunters.”
- noun (figurative) One who praises, or propagates praise, or is the instrument of propagating it.
- noun A funnel, or short flaring pipe, used as a guide or conductor, as for yarn in a knitting machine.
- noun A kind of traffic interchange involving at least one loop ramp connecting traffic either entering or leaving the terminating expressway with the far lanes of the continuous highway.
- noun A powerful reed stop in organs, having a trumpet-like sound.
- noun Any of various flowering plants with trumpet-shaped flowers, for example, of the genus Collomia.
- verb (intransitive) To sound loudly, be amplified “The music trumpeted from the speakers, hurting my ears.”
- verb (intransitive) To play the trumpet. “Cedric made a living trumpeting for the change of passersby in the subway.”
- verb (ambitransitive) Of an elephant, to make its cry. “The circus trainer cracked the whip, signaling the elephant to trumpet.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To give a loud cry like that of an elephant.
- verb (transitive) To proclaim loudly; to promote enthusiastically “Andy trumpeted Jane's secret across the school, much to her embarrassment.”
- noun (slang) A vocal political supporter of US President Donald Trump, especially online.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English trumpet, trumpette, trompette (“trumpet”), from Old French trompette (“trumpet”), diminutive of trompe (“horn, trump, trumpet”), from Frankish *trumpa, *trumba (“trumpet”), ultimately imitative.
Cognate with Old High German trumpa, trumba (“horn, trumpet”), Middle Dutch tromme (“drum”), Middle Low German trumme (“drum”), Old Norse trumba (“pipe; trumpet”). More at drum.
Displaced native English beme, from Middle English beme, from Old English bīeme.
Blend of Trump + trumpet. Named after American celebrity, businessman, politician and President Donald Trump
Webster’s 1913
- noun A wind instrument of great antiquity, much used in war and military exercises, and of great value in the orchestra. In consists of a long metallic tube, curved (once or twice) into a convenient shape, and ending in a bell. Its scale in the lower octaves is limited to the first natural harmonics; but there are modern trumpets capable, by means of valves or pistons, of producing every tone within their compass, although at the expense of the true ringing quality of tone.
- noun A trumpeter. Clarendon.
- verb To publish by, or as by, sound of trumpet; to noise abroad; to proclaim; as, to trumpet good tidings.
- verb To sound loudly, or with a tone like a trumpet; to utter a trumplike cry.
Etymology [F. trompette, dim. of trompe. See Trump a trumpet.]
Etymology [Cf. F. trompeter.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “trumpet”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details