xylophone

American  

[zahy-luh-fohn] / ˈzaɪ ləˌfoʊn /

noun

1. a musical instrument consisting of a graduated series of wooden bars, usually sounded by striking with small wooden hammers.

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xylophone British  

/ ˈzaɪləˌfəʊn, ˌzaɪləˈfɒnɪk, zaɪˈlɒfənɪst /

noun

1. music a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars of graduated length. It is played with hard-headed hammers

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Other Word Forms

• xylophonic adjective
• xylophonist noun

Etymology

Origin of xylophone

First recorded in 1865–70; xylo- + -phone

Compare meaning

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

• vibraphone vs. xylophone
• glockenspiel vs. xylophone

Example Sentences

McCullough told police: "When I was hitting her it was like someone badly playing the xylophone, it was willy-nilly."

From BBC

He holds small mallets in his “hands” to play a kind of xylophone called a marimba.

From NewsForKids.net

These instruments tend to be bells, gongs, types of xylophones and other kinds of pitched percussion instruments.

From Science Daily

They distributed xylophone mallets to those waiting in line.

From New York Times

“Let’s work together to keep your account safe and protect you from fraud,” a recorded voice said, over a tinkly melody that sounded like a xylophone.

From New York Times