bass

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈbas

plural bass or basses

Synonyms of bass next

: any of numerous edible marine or freshwater bony fishes (especially families Centrarchidae, Serranidae, and Percichthyidae of the order Perciformes)

bass

2 of 4

adjective

ˈbās

: deep or grave in tone

: of low pitch

: relating to or having the range or part of a bass

bass

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈbās

: the lowest voice part in a 4-part chorus

: the lower half of the whole vocal or instrumental tonal range compare treble entry 1

: the lowest adult male singing voice

also : a person having this voice

: a member of a family of instruments having the lowest range

especially : double bass

: a deep or grave tone : a low-pitched sound

bass

4 of 4

noun (3)

ˈbas

: basswood sense 1

: a coarse tough fiber from palms

Example Sentences

Adjective the sound of the bass drum a man with an impressive bass voice

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

However, the genre—characterized by fast breakbeats with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples and synthesizers—fell out of style in North America. —

Lisa Kocay, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023 Only People on the Planet Identified by: Late-night parties with music that appears to be entirely bass, screaming fights on the front yard, toddlers meandering aimlessly and unchaperoned on the street, animals of all sorts running off leash, at least three appearances by the cops. —

Kris Frieswick, WSJ, 3 June 2021 Grand Canyon National Park has seen a resurgence of humpback chubs pre-bass invasion, enough that they were downgraded from endangered to threatened. —

Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2023 But its predecessor, Volume 3 (featuring Smokeface), has more of a hip-hop feel with booming Trap-like sub-bass lines, some active high-hats mixed with synths, sax, flute, and head-nodding, funky, loping grooves. —

cleveland, 10 Jan. 2023 Pitts, noted as a crappie guide as well as a pro-bass angler, can be contacted for trips on Weiss and Neely Henry lakes at www.pittsoutdoors.com. —

Frank Sargeant, al, 29 Sep. 2021

Noun

The Soundcore pair produces better bass, with brighter and more detailed audio. —

Nicole Nguyen, WSJ, 28 Feb. 2021 Though small, the L100 speakers deliver solid bass with authority and control, outperforming many larger speakers (including towers) in the process. —

Star Tribune, 26 Feb. 2021 The acoustic design allows for excellent mids and powerful bass with a one-inch tweeter and 7.87-inch woofer. —

Kevin Luna, chicagotribune.com, 22 Feb. 2021 Biggest bass and other category winners will get prizes and a junior angler between the age of 11-18 will receive a $250,000 scholarship. —

Matt Wyatt, San Antonio Express-News, 4 Feb. 2021 In the video, the young musician furiously plays the drums, guitar, bass and does vocal duties, all while rocking out in a Union Jack dress. —

Anna Chan, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2021 The cello descends deep into its bass register, in wounded retreat. —

Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2020 So was Chris, whose dad, Scott, played bass in the group for more than a decade. —

George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Nov. 2020 Even though catch-and-release is common these days, not all bass are released and not all released bass survive. —

Hal Schramm, Outdoor Life, 12 Sep. 2020 See More

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.