music

noun

mu·sic ˈmyü-zik

often attributive

: vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony

choral music

piano music

recorded music

: 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

: a distinctive type or category of music

there is a music for everybody—

Eric Salzman

rock music

jazz music

classical music

: a musical accompaniment

a play set to music

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

leafing through the music

: musical quality

the music of verse

the music of lovingly orchestrated words—

Saturday Review

: an agreeable sound : euphony

her voice was music to my ears

the music of a nightingale

Example Sentences

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. See More

Recent Examples on the Web From switchblades to Dungeons & Dragons to rap music to video games, people have unjustifiably projected their fears onto specific aspects of culture, blaming them for the inescapable passage of time and erosion of what once was. —

David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Jan. 2023 Tributes online included those from Susanna Hoffs and Billy Idol, who said Verlaine made music that influenced the US and UK punk scene. —

Mark Kennedy, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023 How memorable a year was 1973 for albums whose music still resonated today? —

San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Jan. 2023 Tributes online included those from Susanna Hoffs and Billy Idol, who said Verlaine made music that influenced the US and UK punk scene. —

Mark Kennedy, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2023 Born in Denville, N.J., in 1949, Verlaine expressed an interest in both writing and music from a young age, picking up the piano and saxophone before moving on to the guitar as a teenager. —

Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 29 Jan. 2023 Next week’s episode of Saturday Night Live will feature music guest Coldplay and host Pedro Pascal. —

Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 29 Jan. 2023 The doors open at 7 p.m. and music begins at 8 p.m. —

Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2023 Start to finish, Canellakis demonstrated clarity and authority — and a visceral feeling for the music’s textures, shapes and directions. —

Dallas News, 28 Jan. 2023 See More

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.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English musik, from Anglo-French musike, from Latin musica, from Greek mousikē any art presided over by the Muses, especially music, from feminine of mousikos of the Muses, from Mousa Muse

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler

The first known use of music was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century