phonograph

American  

[foh-nuh-graf, -grahf] / ˈfoʊ nəˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

noun

1. any sound-reproducing machine using records in the form of cylinders or discs.

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phonograph British  

/ ˈfəʊnəˌɡrɑːf, -ˌɡræf /

noun

1. an early form of gramophone capable of recording and reproducing sound on wax cylinders

2. Also called: gramophone.   record player.  a device for reproducing the sounds stored on a record: now usually applied to the nearly obsolete type that uses a clockwork motor and acoustic horn

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Etymology

Origin of phonograph

1825–35 in sense “phonogram”; 1877 for the “talking phonograph” invented by T. A. Edison; phono- + -graph

Compare meaning

How does phonograph compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• phonograph vs. gramophone
• phonograph vs. record player

Example Sentences

An animated trailer appears to draw on the story of Korean students whose singing of the song US anthropologist Alice Fletcher recorded on a cylinder phonograph in Washington in 1896.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

The player piano and the phonograph not only introduced recorded music to a mass audience, they also prepared the way for machines to become integrated into musical creation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

These funds were used to purchase local books, periodicals, phonograph records, and "other media" in multiple Indian languages, enriching collections at over two dozen universities.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2024

What about the long-standing myth that its round shape was designed to look like a stack of records with a rooftop antenna resembling a phonograph needle?

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2023

During the weeks leading up to our birthday and the Beauté Carnaval, I had heard this over and over again, as if a needle were stuck on a phonograph record.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• stereo