What does Trombone mean?
A brass trombone with its long slide. It is one of the newest emojis, arriving with Emoji 17.0 in 2025, so many phones and apps may not display it yet. Besides jazz, brass bands and orchestras, it is a natural fit for the “sad trombone” – the descending “wah wah wah” sound effect that marks a fail or a letdown.
Trombone is an emoji from the Objects category (musical instruments), added in Emoji 17.0 in 2025. People use it in messages about brass, instrument, jazz, music, sad and slide. It is one of the newest emojis, so older phones and computers may not display it until they get a system update.
Example messages
Trombone on Apple, Google, Microsoft & more
The code is the same everywhere, but every company draws its own artwork. This is how Trombone looks on each platform.
More musical instruments emojis
See all 13 →Trombone emoji: questions & answers
How do I copy and paste the Trombone emoji?
Press the Copy button at the top of this page and is copied to your clipboard. Then paste it anywhere with Ctrl+V, Cmd+V or a long press on your phone.
When was the Trombone emoji added?
Trombone was added in Emoji 17.0, released in 2025. Because it is so new, it only shows up on devices with the latest system updates; older devices may show an empty box instead.
Why does look different on my phone?
Every platform draws its own artwork for Trombone. The underlying code (U+1FA8A) is the same everywhere, so the person you send it to always gets the same emoji, just in their device’s style. Compare the designs in the platform section above.