: a large circular tuba that has a flared adjustable bell compare helicon
Illustration of sousaphone
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebThere’s the sousaphone player from Ohio State who dots the ‘i’ in the marching band’s famed pregame routine. J. Brady MccolloughStaff WriterFollow, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2022 Featuring two drummers, two trumpeters, two trombonists, a saxophonist and the tuba-like sousaphone, this funk and hip-hop savvy group salutes and extends the brass band tradition with infectious verve. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2022 Six years later, Orchestra Noir is comprised of 50 pieces, with the addition of a few non-traditional elements, such as the sousaphone (a strap-on tuba), the drums, and the saxophone.al, 7 May 2022 This year’s Jazzfest will undoubtedly pay special tribute to local hero, Bennie Pete, the co-founder and sousaphone player of the transcendent New Orleans outfit, the Hot 8 Brass Band. Sarah Grant, SPIN, 20 Jan. 2022 One of the Kennedy Center’s stranger holiday traditions finds up to 200 tuba, euphonium and sousaphone players joining forces for a brassy and very merry concert of seasonal songs.Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2020 The 17-year-old senior was a sousaphone player in the marching band. Jordyn Noennig, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2021 The rattling kitchen implements in the Karpman piece aren’t even the noisiest element; not when a sousaphone rears up for a few bars elsewhere in the concert. Christopher Arnott, courant.com, 6 Nov. 2021 Bennie Pete, co-founder and sousaphone player for the celebrated New Orleans outfit the Hot 8 Brass Band, died from complications from sarcoidosis and Covid-19, Nola.com reports. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2021 See More
Word History
Etymology
John Philip Sousa
First Known Use
1925, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
sousaphone
noun
sou·sa·phone ˈsü-zə-ˌfōn
-sə-
: a large circular tuba designed to rest on the player's shoulder and used chiefly in marching bands