bass

1 of 4

noun (1)

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

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)

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

bass

4 of 4

noun (3)

1
2
: a coarse tough fiber from palms

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Yates led with Pat McCrory and Meg Mills on guitar, Franz Lyons on bass, Daniel Fang on drums, Tobias Moody on saxophone, Theljon Allen on trumpet, and Troy Long on piano. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025 Lakes are home to freshwater fish like trout and bass while oceans offer deep sea fishing to catch things like tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi. Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025 The tube adds deep bass to the car and installation is simple. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025 And a kid down the street sold me his brother’s bass for 10 bucks. Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bass

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of bass was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bass. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

bass

1 of 2 noun
plural bass or basses
: any of various spiny-finned freshwater or saltwater sport and food fishes

bass

2 of 2 noun
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"

More from Merriam-Webster on bass

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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