Definition of "wah-wah" []

• A wavering sound produced by alternately covering and uncovering the bell of a trumpet or trombone with a mute. (noun)
• A similar sound produced by means of an electronic attachment, as on an electric guitar, operated by a foot pedal. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Also banned were saxophones, wah-wah trumpet mutes, the plucking of bass strings, the deliberate lowering of tones to create “blue notes,” and the playing of drums with too much rhythm."
• "At the very least his creative drive, technical ability and painterly application of such effects as wah-wah and distortion forever transformed the sound of rock and roll."
• "Almost every step in between is a high energy flood of brass, bass and wah-wah guitar."