quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

1

: a musical composition or movement for five instruments or voices

2

: a group or set of five: such as

a

: the performers of a quintet

b

: a basketball team

Did you know?

A classical quintet is usually written for strings (usually two violins, two violas, and a cello) or woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn), but brass quintets (two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba) have also become popular in North America recently. In jazz, Miles Davis led two famous quintets. In pop music, the Miracles, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5 were immensely popular vocal quintets. In rock, one of the most common instrumental lineups has been a quintet consisting of two guitars, a bass, a keyboard, and drums; famous rock quintets have included the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys.

Examples of quintet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For days, the plight of the Odisha quintet dominated headlines and primetime broadcasts. — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026

The quintet performed the song Stateside this summer, becoming the first homegrown Filipino act to play Lollapalooza. — Jeff Benjamin, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026

Amazon just released a remake of Stephen King’s Carrie on Prime Video, helmed by Mike Flanagan, who made his name with a quintet of limited horror series on Netflix between 2018 and 2023, starting with The Haunting of Hill House. — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 11 Oct. 2026

The quintet was recovered as part of an investigation into a multimillion-pound outsourced labor payroll fraud, according to the auction house. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 8 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

quintet from Italian quintetto, from quinto fifth, from Latin quintus; quintette from French, from Italian quintetto

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quintet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for five instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quintet

2

: a group or set of five