tuba

noun tu·ba \ ˈtü-bə , ˈtyü- \

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Definition of tuba

: a large low-pitched brass instrument usually oval in shape and having a conical tube, a cup-shaped mouthpiece, and a usual range an octave lower than that of the euphonium

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tubaist

play \ˈtü-bə(-i)st, ˈtyü-\ or tubist play \ˈtü-bist, ˈtyü-\ noun

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Recent Examples of tuba from the Web

The barrels are conclave at the bottom, and tuned to either a lower range of notes like a tuba, or mid-range and higher tones like trumpets and flutes, giving the full band an orchestra-like sound.

— yvette orozco, Houston Chronicle, "Parkview Intermediate music director had a few steel drums and an idea," 6 June 2018
Ranging in age from 14 to 21, the performers make up the horn line (brass instruments such as trumpet, tuba and trombone), percussion (drums, cymbals, keyboards and more) and color guard.

— anne dunlap, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Drum Corps International marches into Orlando," 6 July 2018
There's that homicidal frog/foreboding foghorn/evil tuba again.

— meredith bodgas, Woman's Day, "The 10 Stages of Being Awoken by Your Husband's Snoring," 29 July 2015
Principal tuba player Carol Jantsch emphasized that her instrument requires so much effort for producing sound that a clear, cultivated mental image of the music’s message is an essential starting point.

— david patrick stearns, Philly.com, "Philadelphia Orchestra plays Tel Aviv in its second of three shows in Israel," 4 June 2018
Keith was accomplished as a musician -- both vocalist and tuba player, as an actor and lighting and sound technician in local theatre, and in the Scouts, serving as scoutmaster throughout much of his adulthood.

— courant.com, "Edward Keith Howell," 27 May 2018
That’s because users are not parceled out individually, but rather as constituents of large populations—tuba players, or owners of diabetic cats.

— lara sorokanich, Popular Mechanics, "How Much Money Facebook Gets From Selling Your Data," 19 June 2018
Tanner, whose father is a drummer, has taught himself piano, guitar, drums, beat box, French horn, tuba and saxophone.

— New York Times, "A Family in Transition," 16 June 2018
O’Daniel, who is partly deaf, likens a tuba-less marching band to her experience of the world: Something’s just missing.

— gwynedd stuart, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Hammer Museum Is Tapping Into Local Talent with Made in L.A.," 4 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tuba.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.