oboe

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈō-(ˌ)bō How to pronounce oboe (audio)
: a double-reed woodwind instrument having a conical tube, a brilliant penetrating tone, and a usual range from B flat below middle C upward for over 2½ octaves
oboist
ˈō-(ˌ)bō-ist How to pronounce oboe (audio)
noun

Illustration of oboe

Illustration of oboe

oboist

2 of 2

noun (2)

obo·​ist
variants or oboeist
ˈō(ˌ)bōə̇st, 
-bəwə̇st
plural -s
: an oboe player

Examples of oboe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The sort of uncool even someone very uncool like me would have known enough to conceal—me who wore khakis and played oboe and had braces and yes for a phase had basically no friends. — Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025 Françaix uses the wind ensemble to create a lively back-and-forth between the bright timbres of flutes and oboes and the richer tones of clarinets and bassoons. — Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 7 Nov. 2025 As a freshman, Brandon began to double on the clarinet and oboe while continuing to play his main instrument, the alto saxophone. — Heide Janssen, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026 The woodwind quintet—featuring flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and French horn—has a repertoire that blends light classical favorites by composers like Mozart and Debussy with iconic themes from film scores. — Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 5 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for oboe

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Italian, from French hautbois — more at hautbois

Noun (2)

oboist probably from Italian oboista, from oboe + -ista -ist (from Latin); oboeist from oboe + -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1726, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oboe was circa 1726

Rhymes for oboe

See All Rhymes for oboe

Browse Nearby Words

OBO
oboe
oboe d'amore
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oboe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oboe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

oboe

noun
ˈō-bō How to pronounce oboe (audio)
: a musical instrument in the form of a slender tube that has a distinctive bright sound and that is played by blowing into a mouthpiece holding two reeds
oboist
ˈō-ˌbō-əst How to pronounce oboe (audio)
noun
Etymology

Noun

from Italian oboe "oboe," from French hautbois (same meaning), from haut "high" and bois "wood"

Word Origin
The musical instrument we now call an oboe was developed in France in the 17th century. The French called it a hautbois, a word pronounced something like English "o boy" and made up of haut, meaning "high," and bois, meaning "wood." The hautbois was the highest pitched member of a group of woodwind instruments played with a reed. For a time the English simply used the French word for the instrument. Sometimes they spelled it hautbois, sometimes hautboy, and sometimes they changed the spelling to oboy or hoboy. Meanwhile, the Italians took the French word as oboe, a spelling closer to the way they pronounced it. In the 18th century it became fashionable in England to prefer Italian musical terms. The English then started using the form oboe instead of hautbois, and so oboe is the form we use today.

More from Merriam-Webster on oboe

Nglish: Translation of oboe for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oboe

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