any musical instrument sounded by the breath, such as the woodwinds and brass instruments of an orchestra
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
wind in•stru•ment /ˈwɪnd ˌɪnstrəmənt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Music and Dancea musical instrument played by forcing an air current through it, esp. the breath, classified as either a brass instrument, as the trombone or trumpet, or a woodwind, as the flute or clarinet.
wind′ in′strument
(wind),USA pronunciation
- Music and Dancea musical instrument sounded by the breath or other air current, as the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, or flute.
- 1575–85
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'wind instrument' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
French horn
- accordion
- aerophone
- alphorn
- arghool
- aulos
- bass horn
- bell
- blow
- bombardon
- brass instrument
- bugle
- chop
- circular breathing
- cornet
- didgeridoo
- double-reed
- embouchure
- finger hole
- flute
- flutter
- flügelhorn
- growl
- harmonica
- horn
- lip
- mouthpiece
- ocarina
- open
- ophicleide
- overblow
- panpipe
- panpipes
- pavillon
- pibgorn
- pipe
- pitch
- ranket
- recorder
- reed
- reed instrument
- reed organ
- revoice
- sarrusophone
- saxophone
- serpent
- shofar
- stop
- tenor horn
- tongue