trombone UK /ˌtɹɒmˈbəʊn/US /ˌtɹɑmˈboʊn/noun 3verb 2forms 4 noun3 •A musical instrument in the brass family, having a cylindrical bore, and usually a sliding tube (but sometimes piston valves, and rarely both). Most often refers to the tenor trombone, which is the most common type of trombone and has a fundamental tone of B♭ˌ (contra B♭).Jim plays the trombone very well.This trombone is very expensive. •A kind of extendable support for attaching lighting elements to a set.The trombone […] permits an instrument to be positioned over a studio set wall, enabling the set wall to support the weight of the instrument. — 1983 •The common European bittern. verb2 •To transmit a signal or data back to a central switching point before sending it out to its destination. •(slang) To extend and retract (the zoom lens); to use it too enthusiastically.He recalls (email to editor, 2 December 2012) that Durgnat 'shouted out' in response to his 'tromboning' the zoom-lens at the film's 1967 London Film Festival screening: […] — 2014 formstromboned · tromboning · trombones · tromboni