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

• attendant
• companion
• concomitant
• corollary
• incident
• obbligato

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

For the perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea, try these Coffee Cake Scones from the Bon Appétit Bake Club. —The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 2 June 2025

The live performance will provide the accompaniment. —Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025

Dialing into other nostalgic, but popular music, the line has a show playing the hits of Queen, marrying a live rock band with orchestral and aerialist accompaniment in the Panorama Lounge. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025

That would open the floodgates to religious charter schools in forty-seven states whose laws now prohibit them, with the inevitable accompaniment of hard questions. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 5 May 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