orchestra

plural orchestras · plural rare orchestrae

1. entertainmentA large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.

   The orchestra plays music for the dancers to dance to in the 19th century-styled dance hall.

   2 more examples

   It requires quite an orchestra to get a train to start; the guard blows his horn, the stationmaster rings a large bell, and the engine whistles.

   1941 February, Voyageur, “The Railways of Greece”, in Railway Magazine, page 67

   Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra.

   2015, Aaron Sorkin, Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs, spoken by Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender)

2. Ancient GreeceentertainmentA semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
3. The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.
4. collectiveA group of crickets.

   Nightfall also awakened the neighborhood orchestra of crickets.

   2024 April 21, Borden Applegate, “Jacksonville Beach retiree: Memories of frogs, fireflies and a natural world now vanished”, in The Florida Times Union

   2 more examples

   the jackhammering racket of the city softened and an orchestra of crickets trilled in unison

   2024 September 11, Eliot Stein, “Kayaking the waters that shaped New York City”, in BBC

   Then he’ll focus his attention on the family’s sprawling property in the Riverland town of Loxton, where Schubert farms an orchestra of crickets.

   2025, Ben Hook, “Cockroaches and crickets the future for Olympic hero”, in Sen.com.au