: 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

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.
By surrounding Brazilian funk’s fundamental elements with uncanny violin samples and disorienting synths, Agazero seems to offer a bleak vision of the way the country’s most popular genre has been distorted and misrepresented overseas. Amanda Cavalcanti, Pitchfork, 31 July 2026 And there’s a big difference between playing fiddle and violin, but playing it in her style, and nobody plays like her. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026 In June 2025, the star shared a photo of herself practicing the violin. Breanne L. Heldman, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Like learning to shoot a free throw in basketball or playing the violin, civility takes practice. Frederick J. Ryan, Fortune, 25 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for violin

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of violin was circa 1576

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Violin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/violin. Accessed 5 Aug. 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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