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 of accompaniment

• complement
• companion
• attendant
• concomitant
• 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

The songs, which in the original serve to introduce each cat’s personality, now operate as loose accompaniments to various categories at the ball. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026

Denver Film is hosting its Silent Film Festival beginning Friday, including eight feature films and 11 shorts with live musical accompaniment. —Karen Leigh, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026

This fun fringe will be the perfect accompaniment to her bright personality. —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2026

On that track and others on the album, Scott-Heron’s only musical accompaniment was a conga and bongo drums. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Mar. 2026

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