music

noun, often attributive

mu·sic | \ ˈmyü-zik

Definition of music

1a : the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity

b : vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony choral music piano music recorded music

2a : an agreeable sound : euphony her voice was music to my ears the music of a nightingale

b : musical quality the music of verse the music of lovingly orchestrated words — Saturday Review

3 : a musical accompaniment a play set to music

4 : the score (see score entry 1 sense 6a) of a musical composition set down on paper leafing through the music

5 : a distinctive type or category of music there is a music for everybody— Eric Salzman rock music jazz music classical music

Examples of music in a Sentence

This is one of my favorite pieces of music. performing music in front of an audience dancing to the music of a big band They are writing music for a new album. a song with music by George Gershwin and words by Ira Gershwin He is learning to read music. She studied music in college.

Recent Examples on the Web

But music is just one the many avenues Ruiz uses to channel her creativity. — Jasmin Hernandez, Harper's BAZAAR, "Nomi Ruiz on Making Art That Means Something," 17 Jan. 2019 Moments later, the music began, and Courtney's shy shell came off and her explosive talent shined through. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "'AGT' Star Courtney Hadwin's Time on the Show Was More Controversial Than People Realize," 14 Jan. 2019 In Spotify’s case, the music-streaming company was expected to generate significant investor interest anyway, but there are questions around whether Slack has broad enough name recognition. — Maureen Farrell, WSJ, "Slack Plans to Follow Spotify on Unconventional IPO Route," 11 Jan. 2019 The second camp is of the mindset, essentially, that people should separate the man from the music. — Alexis Jones, Marie Claire, "R. Kelly Docuseries Reminds Us That Not All Stories of Sexual Assault Are Treated Equally," 11 Jan. 2019 There's something so relaxing and thrilling about driving alone, with the windows down and the music up. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Woman's Day, "30 Fun Things to Do By Yourself in Your Lifetime," 3 Jan. 2019 Around the same time, major record labels began contacting NAC about releasing the music of young independent artists on tapes for cheap. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Cassette Tapes Are Back, Don't You Dare Call Them Obsolete," 12 Nov. 2018 The music-streaming site listed its offering size as $1 billion in a filing Tuesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. — Crystal Tse, The Seattle Times, "Chinese streaming-music giant files for $1 billion U.S. IPO," 2 Oct. 2018 Trending Video The Racist & Misogynistic History of Prom To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that : 0%: 0% RM said that his one escape and form of expression was music. — Emily Wang, Teen Vogue, "RM from BTS Gave a Powerful Speech About Self-Love to the United Nations," 24 Sep. 2018

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

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More Definitions for music

music

noun

English Language Learners Definition of music

: sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments

: written or printed symbols showing how music should be played or sung

: the art or skill of creating or performing music

See the full definition for music in the English Language Learners Dictionary

music

noun

mu·sic | \ ˈmyü-zik

Kids Definition of music

1 : an arrangement of sounds having melody, rhythm and usually harmony classical music

2 : the art of producing pleasing or expressive combinations of tones especially with melody, rhythm, and usually harmony I want to study music in college.

3 : a musical composition set down on paper Bring your music.

4 : a pleasing sound Your voice is music to my ears.