trumpets

Noun

trumpet (plural trumpets)

1. A musical instrument of the brass family, generally tuned to the key of B-flat; by extension, any type of lip-vibrated aerophone, most often valveless and not chromatic.
   • The royal herald sounded a trumpet to announce their arrival.

   Synonyms:

   beme, cornet, flugelhorn

2. Someone who plays the trumpet; a trumpeter.
   • The trumpets were assigned to stand at the rear of the orchestra pit.
3. The cry of an elephant, or any similar loud cry.
   • The large bull gave a basso trumpet as he charged the hunters.
4. (figuratively) One who praises, or propagates praise, or is the instrument of propagating it.
   • I will the banner from a trumpet take1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
5. A funnel, or short flaring pipe, used as a guide or conductor, as for yarn in a knitting machine.
6. A kind of traffic interchange involving at least one loop ramp connecting traffic either entering or leaving the terminating expressway with the far lanes of the continuous highway.
   • The result of adopting the latter principle would be that even unimportant T-junctions would be in the form of trumpets or half-cloverleaf junctions.1974, O.T.A., Proceedings, page 4

See all 15 meanings of trumpet