: a bowed stringed instrument having four strings tuned at intervals of a fifth and a usual range from G below middle C upward for more than 4½ octaves and having a shallow body, shoulders at right angles to the neck, a fingerboard without frets, and a curved bridge

Illustration of violin

Illustration of violin
  • 1 bridge
  • 2 sound hole
  • 3 soundboard
  • 4 fingerboard
  • 5 pegs
  • 6 scroll
  • 7 tailpiece
  • g G-string
  • d D-string
  • a A-string
  • e E-string
plural -s
: one who plays the violin

Examples of violin 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
Strings are Tony Seepersad on violin and Marcel Krasner on cello. — Michelle F. Solomon, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 Young Hindoyan was particularly captivated by Jascha Heifetz’s violin sound and by the codas in every first movement of Bruckner’s symphonies. — Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Space Afrika bring in slow-moving and often gorgeous layers of double bass, violin, harp, saxophone, and piano to exhume the revelry, grief, and chaos of their inner worlds. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026 Writing while bombs were falling felt like playing the violin inside the back of an ambulance racing through a disaster zone. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for violin

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Italian violino, from viola "viola, viol" + -ino, diminutive suffix, going back to Latin -īnus -ine entry 1

Noun (2)

Italian violinista, from violino violin + -ista -ist

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of violin was circa 1576

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Cite this Entry

“Violin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violin. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

1
: a stringed musical instrument with four strings that is usually held against the shoulder under the chin and played with a bow
2

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