xylophone

noun

xy·​lo·​phone ˈzī-lə-ˌfōn 

also ˈzi-

: a percussion instrument consisting of a series of wooden bars graduated in length to produce the musical scale, supported on belts of straw or felt, and sounded by striking with two small wooden hammers

xylophonist

ˈzī-lə-ˌfō-nist 

also ˈzi-

noun

Illustration of xylophone

Examples of xylophone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Llínas mugs the camera for laugh lines in the narration, rattles off a comically long list of Borges’ lovers, reveals halfway through that the score has been played, in part, off a toy xylophone. — Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 17 Sep. 2026

Through this grant, New Britain received an influx of cellos, French horns, clarinets, flutes, saxophones, tubas, trombones, trumpets, violins and xylophones. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

There were bouncers rotating at the door, people arguing about playlists and almost fist-fighting, duvets from the Chateau Marmont, a Sikh saint with his crystal xylophone, robes and slippers, Apple Pan and Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles. — Courtney Love, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

The band rotates through instruments, including alpenhorns, cow bells, and a xylophone, and invites guests onto the floor to polka. — Jacqueline Dole, Southern Living, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for xylophone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone

Kids Definition

xylophone

noun

xy·​lo·​phone ˈzī-lə-ˌfōn 

: a musical instrument consisting of a series of wooden bars varying in length and sounded by striking with two wooden hammers

xylophonist

-ˌfō-nəst 

noun

Etymology

from Greek xylo- "wood, of wood" (from xylon "wood") and English -phone "sound, a sound-producing device"