concertina

noun

con·​cer·​ti·​na ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈtē-nə How to pronounce concertina (audio)
1
: a musical instrument of the accordion family
2

Illustration of concertina

Illustration of concertina
  • concertina 1

Examples of concertina 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.
It is made using over three times the amount of cloth as the size of the final piece, so the fabric stretches with movement, the concertina shapes creating dimension. Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 19 Aug. 2025 Folk musicians including fiddle, guitar, penny whistle, flute, and concertina players are welcome to participate as well as those who just want to listen to jigs, reels, hornpipes, polkas and waltzes. Orlando Sentinel Staff, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 May 2025 Delfina rolls out the pasta then flicks a huge piece the size of the table out like a bed sheet, folds it concertina style and slices it up finely. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 There were some lineup changes early on, but founding member and concertina player Mohsen Amini persists, alongside fiddler Benedict Morris and guitarist Charlie Galloway. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 15 Feb. 2025 Leon directs the piece for the Roundabout Theatre Company quite beautifully, expanding out Cephus’ world like a concertina on Amulfo Maldonado’s set, dominated by agrarian crops and the other nomenclature of the rural South in the late 1950s. Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 5 June 2024 As part of a broader, multi-billion-dollar campaign known as Operation Lone Star, Abbott has instructed state National Guard troops to put up concertina and razor wire, as well as other barriers, along parts of Texas' border with Mexico. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2024 In response to some of the OLS efforts, the Biden administration ordered the destruction of the concertina barriers and sued over the marine barriers. Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 Why had nobody seen before that a caterpillar is like a concertina? Lori Oliwenstein, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019

Word History

Etymology

probably from concert entry 1 + Italian -ina, diminutive suffix

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of concertina was in 1834

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Concertina.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concertina. Accessed 27 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

concertina

noun
con·​cer·​ti·​na ˌkän(t)-sər-ˈtē-nə How to pronounce concertina (audio)
: a small musical instrument resembling an accordion

More from Merriam-Webster on concertina

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