Meaning & use
violin
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Meaning
nouncountable
A small wooden musical instrument with four strings, played with a bow and held under the chin.
Grammar: Countable: a violin, two violins. Play the violin (with 'the').
Patterns
- play the violin
- a violin concerto
She plays the violin in the school orchestra.
He bought a new violin for his daughter.
The violin is a key instrument in classical music.
Word forms
| plural | violins |
|---|
Common combinations
- play the violin
- He learned to play the violin at age six.
- violin concerto
- The orchestra performed a famous violin concerto.
- violin lessons
- She takes violin lessons every Saturday.
- first violin
- She is the first violin in the quartet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fiddle
- Informal or folk music term; 'violin' is standard for classical music.
Word family
- violinist noun
- A person who plays the violin.
Commonly confused: violin or viola?
violin vs viola
A viola is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower sound.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
When talking about playing an instrument in general, use 'the': play the violin. 'Play violin' is missing the article; 'play a violin' suggests a specific one, and 'play violins' is not used for a single person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “violin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.