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barrel organ
noun
: an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving cylinder studded with pegs on a series of valves that admit air from a bellows to a set of pipes
Examples of barrel organ in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Every girl needs an old-timey barrel organ.
—
Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022
Robots in movies these days are too busy finding true love and overcoming adversity to use the barrel organ of machine guns in their chests.
—
Bruno Maddox, Discover Magazine, 8 Nov. 2010
The old barrel organ started the song about Russian doping again.
—
BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
1750, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near barrel organ
Cite this Entry
“Barrel organ.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrel%20organ. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
barrel organ
noun
: an instrument producing music by a series of pegs arranged around a revolving cylinder so that they open valves to admit air from a bellows to a set of pipes
More from Merriam-Webster on barrel organ
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about barrel organ
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