- (n.) The instruments employed by a full band, collectively; as, an orchestra of forty stringed instruments, with proper complement of wind instruments.
- (n.) The space in a theater between the stage and the audience; -- originally appropriated by the Greeks to the chorus and its evolutions, afterward by the Romans to persons of distinction, and by the moderns to a band of instrumental musicians.
- (n.) A band composed, for the largest part, of players of the various viol instruments, many of each kind, together with a proper complement of wind instruments of wood and brass; -- as distinguished from a military or street band of players on wind instruments, and from an assemblage of solo players for the rendering of concerted pieces, such as septets, octets, and the like.
- (n.) Strictly: A band suitable for the performance of symphonies, overtures, etc., as well as for the accompaniment of operas, oratorios, cantatas, masses, and the like or of vocal and instrumental solos.
- (n.) Loosely: A band of instrumental musicians performing in a theater, concert hall or other place of public amusement.
- (n.) The place in any public hall appropriated to a band of instrumental musicians.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). orchestra. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/orchestra/definitions/2039280 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "orchestra" http://smartdefine.org/orchestra/definitions/2039280 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, orchestra, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/orchestra/definitions/2039280>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "orchestra" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/orchestra/definitions/2039280> |