What does "accordion" mean?
A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).
Accordion
/əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).
- Grammar: accordion is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: squeeze box, accordion widget, bellows, collapsible section.
- Useful contrasts: fixed panel, rigid joint, rigid pipe.
- Usage evidence: Tom played the accordion while Mary danced.
How to use "accordion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "accordion" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "accordion" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "accordion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "accordion" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "accordion" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "squeeze box" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "accordion", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A box-shaped musical instrument played by compressing or expanding its bellows while pressing its buttons or its keys, causing pallets to open, which allow air to flow across strips of brass or steel (reeds).
"A disreputable accordion that had a leak somewhere and breathed louder than it squawked."
- 2 a portable box-shaped free-reed instrument; the reeds are made to vibrate by air from the bellows controlled by the player wordnet
- 3 A vertical list of items that can be individually expanded and collapsed to reveal their contents.
- 4 Something, or set of things (concepts, etc), which can be expanded (or extended) and collapsed, like the musical instrument's pleated, folding bellows. attributive, figuratively
"See also: telescoping"
Verb
- 1 To fold up, in the manner of an accordion intransitive, transitive
"I slit the wrapping with my pocketknife and the clothesline accordioned out in stiff loops."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
fixed panelrigid jointrigid pipestatic section
Example
"Tom played the accordion while Mary danced."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "accordion"?
Common synonyms include: squeeze box, accordion widget, bellows, collapsible section, concertinas, expandable panel.
How do you use "accordion" in a sentence?
Tom played the accordion while Mary danced.
How do you pronounce "accordion"?
Pronounced /əˈkɔ(ɹ).diˌən/.
Etymology
First attested in 1831. From German Akkordeon, from Akkord (“harmony”), from French accord, from Old French acorder, based on Italian accordare (“to tune”). See also accord.