Dobro

American

[doh-broh] / ˈdoʊ broʊ /

Trademark.

a brand of acoustic guitar commonly used in country music, usually played on the lap and having a raised bridge and a metal resonator cone that produces a tremulous, moaning sound.

noun

plural

Dobros

(lowercase) any guitar of this type.

Dobro British

/ ˈdəʊbrəʊ /

noun

an acoustic guitar having a metal resonator built into the body

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Weaving around the many period-rich diegetic songs, he took a 1932 Dobro resonator guitar — the same one that Caton’s character, Sammy, plays in the film — and channeled his father’s blues-loving DNA.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2025

It’s a Dobro, which means it’s a guitar with this metal hybrid resonator, so it sounds slightly different.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2018

Bluma’s guitar and a supporting cast that includes Lloyd Maines on Dobro and pedal steel deftly straddle musical genres.

From Washington Times • Jul. 6, 2017

I was one of the band’s singers and played a variety of instruments including Dobro and pedal steel guitar.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2015

James picked up the Dobro and plucked at it with his fingers.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023