1
: a valved brass instrument resembling a trumpet in design and range but having a shorter partly conical tube and less brilliant tone
2
: something shaped like a cone: such as
a
: a piece of paper twisted for use as a container
b
: a cone-shaped pastry shell that is often filled with whipped cream
c
British
: an ice-cream cone
1
: the standard of a cavalry troop
2
a
: the onetime fifth grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry troop who carried the standard
b
: the onetime lowest commissioned rank in the U.S. cavalry
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Like the trumpet, the cornet is a brass instrument with three valves, but its bore is somewhat more conical. Its range parallels that of the trumpet. It evolved in the 1820s, and its agility made it a very popular solo instrument. It often displaced the trumpet in 19th-century orchestras, and it preceded the trumpet in modern dance and jazz bands. Recent developments have made the two instruments very similar, and the cornet's popularity has waned considerably as a result.
Synonyms
Examples of cornet in a Sentence
Noun (1)
cornets of pastry dough that were baked and later filled with cream
Recent Examples on the Web
Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
Soloist Pacho Flores strode on stage in front of the San Diego Symphony, perilously carrying two trumpets and a cornet.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
Was having the cornet player there that night in Philly unusual?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Nov. 2023
Pacho Flores was the agile trumpeter, solid in tone throughout his range, brilliant on the cornet and mellow on the flugelhorn.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for cornet 
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Noun
In the late-aughts, at the restaurant French Laundry, in Yountville, California, Lena Kwak was tasked with finding a gluten-free alternative to the restaurant's iconic salmon cornets—small, crunchy wafer cones filled with salmon tartare to signal the beginning of the meal.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
Soloist Pacho Flores strode on stage in front of the San Diego Symphony, perilously carrying two trumpets and a cornet.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024
Was having the cornet player there that night in Philly unusual?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Nov. 2023
Pacho Flores was the agile trumpeter, solid in tone throughout his range, brilliant on the cornet and mellow on the flugelhorn.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 July 2023
See all Example Sentences for cornet
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Dictionary Entries Near cornet
Cite this Entry
“Cornet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cornet. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
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