: a single-reed woodwind instrument having a cylindrical tube with a moderately flared bell and a usual range from D below middle C upward for 3¹/₂ octaves
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The ranks mimic the sounds of other instruments, like the clarinet, the oboe and the trumpet.—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2025 The clarinet and piano played musical lines imitating birds.—Rebecca Coffey, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 The film culminates with an escalating parade of pain inflicted on Marv and Harry, and John deftly varied the pace and intensity of his cartooning — with heavy use of pizzicato strings, triangle, and legato bass clarinets — to match the progression.—Tim Greiving, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 Lulu, in her signature curly white wig, dunce cap, and exaggeratedly feminine makeup, and Albert, with his bulbous red nose, would entertain with a lively comedy and musical revue; Lulu played the bagpipes, clarinet, saxophone, coronet, and piano, among other instruments.—April White, JSTOR Daily, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clarinet
Word History
Etymology
French clarinette, probably ultimately from Medieval Latin clarion-, clario
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