plural bass or basses
: any of numerous edible marine or freshwater bony fishes (especially families Centrarchidae, Serranidae, and Percichthyidae of the order Perciformes)
1
: deep or grave in tone
2
a
: of low pitch
b
: relating to or having the range or part of a bass
1
a
: the lowest voice part in a 4-part chorus
b
: the lower half of the whole vocal or instrumental tonal range compare treble entry 1
c
: the lowest adult male singing voice
also
: a person having this voice
d
: a member of a family of instruments having the lowest range
especially
: double bass
2
: a deep or grave tone : a low-pitched sound
1
2
: a coarse tough fiber from palms
Synonyms
Examples of bass in a Sentence
Adjective
the sound of the bass drum
a man with an impressive bass voice
Recent Examples on the Web
Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Lesh accepted Garcia’s invitation to play bass on the spot, and some months later the Warlocks were rechristened the Grateful Dead.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
Sam Grisman, son of longtime Jerry Garcia collaborator David Grisman, played bass in his place.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Advertisement While learning to play bass in the Warlocks, Lesh developed an elastic, melodic style that became as much a Dead signature as Garcia’s winding guitar leads.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bass 
Noun
Elements are slowly added to the bass, creating an intricate sonic backdrop.
—Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Lesh accepted Garcia’s invitation to play bass on the spot, and some months later the Warlocks were rechristened the Grateful Dead.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 25 Oct. 2024
Sam Grisman, son of longtime Jerry Garcia collaborator David Grisman, played bass in his place.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2024
Advertisement While learning to play bass in the Warlocks, Lesh developed an elastic, melodic style that became as much a Dead signature as Garcia’s winding guitar leads.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bass
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bass
Cite this Entry
“Bass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bass. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bass
1 of 2 noun
plural bass or basses
: any of various spiny-finned freshwater or saltwater sport and food fishes
bass
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the lowest musical part in harmony for four parts compare alto sense 1b, soprano entry 2 sense 1, tenor sense 2a
b
: the lower half of a musical tone range compare treble
2
a
: the lowest male singing voice or a person who has this voice
b
: a person or instrument performing the bass part
bass
adjective
Etymology
Noun
Old English bærs "bass"
Noun
Middle English bas (adjective) "being or having a low solemn tone"
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