trumpet

/ˈtrʌmpət/

/ˈtrʌmpɪt/

Other forms: trumpets; trumpeted; trumpeting

A trumpet is a brass instrument that you play by blowing into its mouthpiece and pressing valves to form notes. If your older brother has trouble getting up in the morning, you can help him out by practicing your trumpet outside his bedroom door at six a.m.

Trumpets fall under the category of brass instruments, along with tubas and saxophones. When you play a trumpet, you need to use something called embouchure, the proper shaping of your mouth and lips so your breath buzzes against the mouthpiece in just the right way. Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis were famous jazz trumpet players. As a verb, to trumpet is to announce something very loudly, as if you were playing it on a trumpet.

Definitions of trumpet

1. noun

   a brass musical instrument with a brilliant tone; has a narrow tube and a flared bell and is played by means of valves
   synonyms: cornet, horn, trump

   types:

   serpent

   an obsolete bass cornet; resembles a snake

   type of:

   brass, brass instrument

   a wind instrument that consists of a brass tube (usually of variable length) that is blown by means of a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece
2. verb

   proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet
   type of:

   exclaim, proclaim, promulgate

   state or announce
3. verb

   play or blow on the trumpet
   type of:

   play

   perform music on (a musical instrument)
4. verb

   utter in trumpet-like sounds
   “Elephants are trumpeting”

   type of:

   emit, let loose, let out, utter

   express audibly; utter sounds (not necessarily words)