Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

bass

play
noun \ ˈbas \

Definition of bass

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

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

image536372841
Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!
alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Origin and Etymology of bass

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

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

2

bass

play
adjective \ ˈbās \

Definition of bass

1 :deep or grave in tone
2 a :of low pitch
b :relating to or having the range or part of a bass

See bass defined for English-language learners

Examples of bass in a Sentence

  1. the sound of the bass drum

  2. a man with an impressive bass voice

Origin and Etymology of bass

Middle English bas base — more at 3base

bass Synonyms

Synonyms
deep, grave, low, throaty
Antonyms
acute, high, high-pitched, piping, sharp, shrill, treble
Related Words
boomy, tubby; gruff, hoarse, husky, rough, smoky (also smokey)
Near Antonyms
squeaking, squeaky, squealing, thin; earsplitting, penetrating, piercing, strident; peeping, tinny
3

bass

play
noun \ ˈbās \

Definition of bass

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
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; especially :double bass
2 :a deep or grave tone :a low-pitched sound

Origin and Etymology of bass

Middle English bas, noun derivative of bas 2base

Other Music Terms

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

4

bass

play
noun \ ˈbas \

Definition of bass

1 :basswood 1
2 :a coarse tough fiber from palms

Origin and Etymology of bass

alteration of bast

BASS Defined for English Language Learners

bass

play
adjective

Definition of bass for English Language Learners

  • : having or indicating a low sound or range

BASS Defined for Kids

1

bass

play
noun \ ˈbas \

Definition of bass for Students

plural bass or basses
:any of numerous freshwater or saltwater fishes that are caught for sport and food
2

bass

play
noun \ ˈbās \

Definition of bass for Students

1 :a tone of low pitch
2 :the lowest part in harmony that has four parts
3 :the lower half of the musical pitch range
4 :the lowest male singing voice
5 :a singer or an instrument having a bass range or part
3

bass

adjective

Definition of bass for Students

:having a very low sound or range
  • bass drums

Learn More about bass

  1. See words that rhyme with bass Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for bass Spanish Central: Translation of bass Nglish: Translation of bass for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of bass for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bass

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up bass? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  2. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  3. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  4. allegory No spoilers!

  5. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

bass

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image536372841
Silent Letters

When each letter can be seen but not heard

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: bass in a Sentence