eighth note

noun

: a musical note with the time value of ¹/₈ of a whole note see note illustration

Examples of eighth note in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For Armstrong, each eighth note did not need to have the same weight or duration on every occasion that an eighth note appeared. Popular Science, 30 May 2020 The drummer starts pounding the tom-toms, and the bass and rhythm guitar pound out eighth notes. Noah Shachtman, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2023 There is, however, an eighth note – do. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 5 Apr. 2021 So the first iteration of the chord progression takes about three minutes, then each variation after that gets shorter and shorter until each chord becomes only an eighth note long. oregonlive, 1 Feb. 2020 Rechtshaid added drums and moved the chorus over an eighth note, adding a backbeat. Chris Payne, Billboard, 28 June 2019 My eighth notes provided urgency, a racing pulse under the whole thing rather than the original’s sleepy conga. Marc Myers, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2018 Kal Marks, a band from Boston, plays with lurching bass lines, plodding eighth notes and similarly stripped-down drum beats set against brittle guitars and vocals that sound strained and scraped. John Adamian, courant.com, 19 May 2018 Its shape resembles that of an eighth note, and its sound has been likened to that of a theremin. Stephen J. Beard, Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'eighth note.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1839, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eighth note was in 1839

Dictionary Entries Near eighth note

Cite this Entry

“Eighth note.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eighth%20note. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

eighth note

noun
: a musical note equal in time to ⅛ of a whole note
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