bass

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈbas 

plural bass or basses

: any of numerous edible marine or freshwater bony fishes (especially families Centrarchidae, Serranidae, and Percichthyidae of the order Perciformes)

bass

2 of 4

adjective

ˈbās 

1

: deep or grave in tone

2

a

: of low pitch

b

: relating to or having the range or part of a bass

bass

3 of 4

noun (2)

ˈbās 

plural basses

1

a

: the lowest voice part in a 4-part chorus

b

: the lower half of the whole vocal or instrumental tonal range compare treble entry 1

c

: the lowest adult male singing voice

also : a person having this voice

d

: a member of a family of instruments having the lowest range: such as

(1)

: double bass

(2)

: bass guitar

2

: a deep or grave tone : a low-pitched sound

bass

4 of 4

noun (3)

ˈbas 

1

: basswood sense 1

2

: a coarse tough fiber from palms

Synonyms of bass

Adjective

• deep
• low

Examples of bass in a Sentence

Adjective

the sound of the bass drum

a man with an impressive bass voice

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As the deep bass from the DJ’s techno beats shook cups of cocktail sauce on a nearby table, Koc, a software engineer by day, gestured to the hundreds of OpenClaw disciples on the dance floor and argued that the excitement was more than just a passing fad. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026

Compact Bluetooth Speaker Deal The Sony XB100 is an affordable Bluetooth speaker that delivers powerful sound rich with bass despite its compact size. —George Yang, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026

Producer Kid Harpoon uses Disco’s busy drums (often from Tom Skinner of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood’s the Smile) to meet pinging bass and melodic elements that systematically stack underneath Styles’s vocals. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

The famed lake on the Texas-Louisiana state line is well known for giant bass, and Franklin has fished it most of his life. —Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English base, bærs, from Old English bærs; akin to Old High German bersich perch

Adjective

Middle English bas base — more at base entry 3

Noun (2)

Middle English bas, noun derivative of bas base entry 2

Noun (3)

alteration of bast

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

1774, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bass

• bass clef
• bass drum
• bass fiddle
• bass guitar
• bass horn
• bass viol
• black bass
• calico bass
• channel bass
• Chilean sea bass
• double bass
• electric bass
• figured bass
• ground bass
• kelp bass
• largemouth bass
• palmetto bass
• rock bass
• sea bass
• smallmouth bass
• string bass
• striped bass
• sunshine bass
• white bass
• whiterock bass
• white sea bass

Rhymes for bass

• ass
• bras
• brass
• casse
• chasse
• class
• crass
• das
• dass
• frass
• gas
• lass

Kids Definition

bass

1 of 2 noun

ˈbas 

plural bass or basses

: any of various spiny-finned freshwater or saltwater sport and food fishes

bass

2 of 2 noun

ˈbās 

1

a

: the lowest musical part in harmony for four parts compare alto sense 1b, soprano entry 2 sense 1, tenor sense 2a

b

: the lower half of a musical tone range compare treble

2

a

: the lowest male singing voice or a person who has this voice

b

: a person or instrument performing the bass part

bass adjective

Etymology

Noun

Old English bærs "bass"

Noun

Middle English bas (adjective) "being or having a low solemn tone"