sousaphone

noun

sou·​sa·​phone ˈsü-zə-ˌfōn How to pronounce sousaphone (audio)
-sə-
: a large circular tuba that has a flared adjustable bell compare helicon

Illustration of sousaphone

Illustration of sousaphone

Examples of sousaphone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One Oakton student owned a guitar, so the band leaned on that instrument and the sousaphones to play the songs’ bass. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 14 Jan. 2024 Condon will be joined live by Aaron Arntz (piano), Ben Lanz (trombone/sousaphone/piano), Clarice Jensen (cello), Griffin Rodriguez (bass), Kyle Resnick (trumpet), Nick Petree (drums/percussion), and Yuki Numata (violin). Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2023 But the tuba – namely the circular kind called a sousaphone – is big. Michelle Krupa, CNN, 3 Oct. 2023 Adam Blackstone, a jack-of-all-trades who plays bass, drums, piano, organ, tuba and sousaphone — and is also a songwriter, producer, composer and everything else under the musical sun — is more than ready to step in. Mesfin Fekadu, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Aug. 2023 Ed played the sousaphone in the Colts’ band. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 12 Jan. 2023 Ben Jaffe currently plays sousaphone in the band. New York Times, 31 Dec. 2021 Tuba, euphonium and sousaphone players are used to sitting in the back of an orchestra, but the Kennedy Center brings 150 of them front and center at Merry Tuba Christmas, an annual celebration of low brass power and festive tunes. Chris Richards, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2022 Christmas carols will be performed by over 200 tuba, sousaphone and euphonium players. John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 15 Dec. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sousaphone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

John Philip Sousa

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sousaphone was in 1925

Dictionary Entries Near sousaphone

Cite this Entry

“Sousaphone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sousaphone. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sousaphone

noun
sou·​sa·​phone ˈsü-zə-ˌfōn How to pronounce sousaphone (audio)
: a large circular tuba that goes over the player's shoulder and has a wide bell that faces forward
Etymology

named for John Philip Sousa 1854–1932 American band leader and composer

More from Merriam-Webster on sousaphone

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!