music

noun, often attributive mu·sic \ ˈmyü-zik \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Definition of music

1 a : 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

2 a : 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 ¹score 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

See music defined for English-language learners

See music defined for kids

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 of music from the Web

The Street Chorus first appears in a Prefatory Prayers section, singing Latin words to music driven by marching band flourishes.

— New York Times, "Is ‘Mass’ Leonard Bernstein’s Best Work, or His Worst?," 13 July 2018
What Napster was to music, the Russian shadow libraries are to knowledge.

— joe karaganis, Washington Post, "Russia is building a new Napster — but for academic research," 13 July 2018
Click below to listen to the music and watch the full video above.

— sarah nechamkin, The Cut, "Watch Kenzo’s Dreamy Reimagining of an Ancient Japanese Folktale," 13 July 2018
The clips, shot by users, range from a dexterous noodle-maker in Chongqing to a shimmying peacock in a bamboo grove, all set to music.

— The Economist, "A Chinese music-video app is making WeChat sweat," 12 July 2018
Soon after the conviction, the Harts began home schooling the children, which often consisted of nature trips and music festivals, according to Jennifer Hart's social media posts.

— joe heim and julie tate, Houston Chronicle, "As Hart children begged for help, system failed them," 12 July 2018
Listening to music or picking out one voice from several others is often impossible.

— justin chen, STAT, "Pulses of light restored hearing in gerbils. Could that lead to higher-tech cochlear implants?," 11 July 2018
Set to patriotic music at dusk at approximately 9:15 p.m., the evening will culminate with fireworks made possible by generous, long-time sponsor, Stafford Savings Bank.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Stafford Edition," 10 July 2018
An Iranian woman received an outpouring of support from followers on social media after officials arrested her for posting Instagram videos that showed her dancing to Iranian and Western pop music.

— katherine lam, Fox News, "Iranian woman arrested after posting Instagram video of her dancing, prompting outrage among users," 10 July 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.

Origin and Etymology of music

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year