accompaniment

noun

ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment ə-ˈkəm-pə-nē-mənt 

-ˈkəmp-nē-

1

music : an instrumental or vocal part designed to support or complement a melody

sang the song with a piano accompaniment

2

a

: an addition (such as an ornament) intended to give completeness or symmetry to something : complement

a tie that's a nice accompaniment to his new suit

b

: an accompanying situation or occurrence : concomitant

studied Italian as an accompaniment to her art history class

accompanimental

ə-ˌkəm-pə-nē-ˈmen-tᵊl 

-ˌkəmp-nē-

adjective

Synonyms

• complement
• companion
• concomitant
• attendant
• incident
• corollary
• obbligato
• consequence
• adjunct

Examples of accompaniment in a Sentence

She sings without musical accompaniment.

A nice tie was a fine accompaniment to his new suit.

This dish can be served as an accompaniment to most meat main dishes.

This wine is a good accompaniment for spicy foods.

She studied Italian as an accompaniment to her classes in art history.

Recent Examples on the Web

At tiny churches, phones even come in handy as hymnals and the music accompaniment for singing praises and lifting joyful songs because there is no organ or choir. —Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 3 July 2025

The charcuterie board here features three meats, three cheeses and accompaniments ($26), and is available during lunch, happy hour and dinner. —Kathryn Gregory, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

The president of the Veneto regional government which comprises Venice, Luca Zaia, told reporters Tuesday that the wedding and its various accompaniments were set to cost 40 million to 48 million euros ($47-$56 million). —Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 27 June 2025

Their harmonies, coupled with Blake’s accompaniment, elicited enthusiastic applause from the intimate audience. —Shirley Halperin, HollywoodReporter, 19 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

accompany + -ment, on the model of French accompagnement, going back to Old French acompaignement "feudal power-sharing contract," derivative of acompaigner "to accompany"

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing accompaniment

• to the accompaniment of

Kids Definition

accompaniment

noun

ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment ə-ˈkəmp-(ə-)nē-mənt 

1

: music played along with a solo part to enrich it

2

: an accompanying object, situation, or event