woodwind

noun

wood·​wind ˈwu̇d-ˌwind 

1

: any of a group of wind instruments (such as a clarinet, flute, oboe, or saxophone) that are characterized by a cylindrical or conical tube of wood or metal usually ending in a slightly flared bell, that produce tones by the vibration of one or two reeds in the mouthpiece or by the passing of air over a mouth hole, and that usually have finger holes or keys by which the player may produce all the tones within an instrument's range

2

woodwinds plural : the woodwind section of a band or orchestra

Examples of woodwind in a Sentence

He plays all the woodwind instruments very well.

Recent Examples on the Web

When woodwind and brass players gathered at London’s AIR Studios Lyndhurst (a deconsecrated Victorian church that producer George Martin turned into a top-notch recording facility in 1992) in late April to record part of its score, the TV show’s name was markedly absent from the sheet music. —Joe Lynch, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2024

And, maybe most importantly: plays well with Thomas Wilkins and woodwinds. —Chris Willman, Variety, 9 Aug. 2024

The show will feature all of the surviving original members — Hancock, drummer Harvey Mason, woodwind player Bennie Maupin and percussionist Bill Summers — with bassist Marcus Miller standing in for the late great Paul Jackson. —Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024

But the second movement unlocked the rhetorical qualities essential to Beethoven’s self-referential classic — the striding melody dissipating into a whisper, squirrelly strings introducing a minor-key woodwind shanty, a coda that seemed to shrug genially. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing woodwind

• woodwind section

Kids Definition

woodwind

noun

wood·​wind ˈwu̇d-ˌwind 

1

: one of a group of musical instruments including flutes, clarinets, oboes, bassoons, and sometimes saxophones compare brass instrument, percussion instrument, stringed instrument

2

plural : the woodwind instruments of a band or orchestra

woodwind adjective