whammy bar

noun

variants or less commonly wham bar
: a lever attached by the bridge or tailpiece of an electric guitar that can be depressed to increase the tension of the strings and produce such effects as vibrato, portamento, and dive bomb
… he was also a distinctive guitarist with a biting, nasty tone, and was one of the first to make the whammy bar an integral part of his sound.Vladimir Bogdanov, All Music Guide to Soul, 2003

called also trem bar, tremolo, tremolo arm, tremolo bar, vibrato arm, vibrato bar, wang bar

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of whammy bar was in 1979

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Dictionary Entries Near whammy bar

Cite this Entry

“Whammy bar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whammy%20bar. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!