contrabass

noun con·tra·bass \ ˈkän-trə-ˌbās \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Definition of contrabass

: double bass

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contrabassist

play \ˈkän-trə-ˌbā-sist\ noun

See contrabass defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of contrabass from the Web

The instrumentation requires extra winds (including a contrabass clarinet) and brass (six horns, four trombones).

— christian hertzog, sandiegouniontribune.com, "La Jolla Symphony and Sameer Patel delight with 20th century masterpieces," 7 May 2018
The deep-sea contrabass clarinet and contrabassoon that Salonen love contribute a strange bottom to the orchestral sound.

— mark swed, latimes.com, "Salonen's 'Pollux' supplies some grunge for L.A. Phil tour," 16 Apr. 2018
Mark Dresser Quintet Expect a night of dazzling aural adventure when San Diego contrabass great Mark Dresser is joined by a stellar band featuring the superb flutist Nicole Mitchell, rising piano phenom Joshua White and trombonist Michael Dessen.

— george varga, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Spring arts 2018: 10 things to watch in music this season," 25 Mar. 2018
There was a sense of coronation as one witnessed her confident next-generation contrabass playing side by side with McBride’s electric bass guitar.

— yoshi kato, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bassist Aneesa Strings off to a fast start," 26 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'contrabass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.