accompaniment

play

noun ac·com·pa·ni·ment \ ə-ˈkəm-pə-nē-mənt , -ˈkəmp-nē- \

Definition of accompaniment

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

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accompanimental

play \-ˌkəm-pə-nē-ˈmen-tᵊl, -ˌkəmp-nē-\ adjective

See accompaniment defined for English-language learners

See accompaniment defined for kids

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 of accompaniment from the Web

Musically, guitarist Dan Miller provided expert accompaniment to two-time Grammy Award winners Linnell and Flansburgh.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Gen Con rocks into 50 with They Might Be Giants," 18 Aug. 2017
Braising uses a large cut as centerpiece, and the cooking liquid gets cooked down into a kind of sauce served as accompaniment.

— francine maroukian, Popular Mechanics, "The Two Ways To Cook Meat Perfectly Every Time," 18 Aug. 2017
Lyle Lovett The iconic Texas singer-songwriter brings his eclectic array of American roots music and the top-shelf, aptly named Large Band in accompaniment.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Big Gigs: James Taylor, Santana, TLC, Martha Reeves, more," 2 Aug. 2017
Although some sacred music was performed in the traditional a cappella style, accompaniment by organ, piano, and a brass quartet enhanced the performances in each city.

— tom strong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Fox Valley Festival Chorus tours Italy," 19 July 2017
Second-guessing by the media and politicians of both parties will be the inevitable accompaniment to every White House announcement about Vladimir Putin or Russia.

— howard kurtz, Fox News, "Conservative carping: Why many on the right aren't defending Don Jr.," 13 July 2017
Announcer chatter about ERAs and RBIs is the main sonic accompaniment as one digs into one’s red sauce at a table covered in black cloth.

— carla meyer, sacbee, "Sacramento’s best minestrone soup? It’s served at this baseball bar turned Italian restaurant," 13 July 2017
Williams addressed the split — and rumors of infidelity — in JAY-Z‘s short film Footnotes for 4:44, a visual accompaniment to the rapper’s new album, which was released Monday, according to E!

— aurelie corinthios, PEOPLE.com, "Date Night! New Couple Jesse Williams & Minka Kelly Step Out for Casual Evening Together," 12 July 2017
Fruits are a classic accompaniment to many savory dishes, bringing out a sweetness and fullness to many meats and starches.

— the tylt, OregonLive.com, "Does pineapple belong on a pizza?," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accompaniment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of accompaniment

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1697

See Words from the same year

accompaniment Synonyms

Synonyms

attendant, companion, concomitant, corollary, incident, obbligato

Related Words

accessory (also accessary), adjunct, appendage; complement, supplement; counterpart, fellow, mate; consequence, follow-up; fixings, trimmings

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

ACCOMPANIMENT Defined for English Language Learners

accompaniment

play

noun

Definition of accompaniment for English Language Learners

: music played to support a person who is singing or playing a musical instrument
: something that is added to another thing to make it better or more appealing; especially : something added to or served with food or a meal
: something that is done or that happens at the same time as something else