instrumentnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈɪn.strə.mənt/us/ˈɪn.strə.mənt/instrument noun [ C ] (MUSIC)
A2 also musical instrument an object, such as a piano, guitar, or drum, that is played to produce musical sounds:
Which instrument do you play?
More examples
- When a piece of music is recorded, each instrument is recorded separately on a 24- or 48-track tape.
- If you want to learn to play a musical instrument, it might be a good idea to begin on something simple.
- This wooden instrument is the ancestor of the modern metal flute.
- The family all play instruments - they're all very musical.
- The trumpet and trombone are brass instruments.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Musical instruments
- accordion
- alphorn
- alto
- alto recorder
- bagpipes
- dulcimer
- English horn
- euphonium
- fingerboard
- flugelhorn
- pick
- pitched
- plectrum
- reed
- reed instrument
- viol
- viola
- violin
- violoncello
- vuvuzela
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instrument noun [ C ] (TOOL)
C1 a tool or other device, especially one without electrical power, used for performing a particular piece of work:
surgical instruments
instruments of torture
The man's injuries had obviously been caused by a blunt instrument.
a device used for measuring speed, height, etc. in vehicles, especially aircraft:
the instrument panel
The lightning had damaged the plane's instruments, and they weren't giving any readings.
C2 formal a way of achieving or causing something:
He saw the theatre as an instrument of change - a way of forcing people to consider social and political issues.
More examples
- The main instruments are in the centre of the control panel.
- The doctor used a sharp instrument to dig a piece of glass out of my finger.
- Lewis estimates that 40 to 80 percent of dentists actually autoclave their instruments as they should.
- The museum has a large collection of vicious medieval torture instruments.
- The instrument panel was brightly illuminated.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Tools in general
- aid
- blade
- device
- gadget
- hardware
- household goods
- implement
- machine tool
- power tool
- precision instrument
- sucker
- suction cup
- tool
- toolbox
- toolkit
- utensil
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
The interior of vehicles
Measuring, weighing, & counting devices
Ways of achieving things
instrument noun [ C ] (FINANCE)
a type of investment in a company or in government debt that can be traded on the financial markets:
They trade in the debt instruments of developing countries.
increasingly complex financial instruments