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

He may also have been inspired by the spirited instrumental and vocal accompaniment on most of his encores from Larkin Poe — sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, who are 26 and 25, respectively. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 June 2025

Great Travel Drink Accessories and Portable Coolers At the end of a long drive, a chilled wine is a perfect accompaniment to a picnic lunch or barbecue dinner, and the Decoy Featherweight Chardonnay keeps it light. —Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Mixed lightly with Japanese mayo, celery and onion, with just a kiss of citrus, the lobster roll here is the perfect accompaniment to some of their boozy and well-crafted cocktails. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 18 June 2025

Served in bistros all over France, this colorful Asparagus Mimosa is an ideal accompaniment to baked ham, roast chicken, or served on its own as a first course. —Georgeanne Brennan, Mercury News, 5 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