quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

1

: a musical composition or movement for five instruments or voices

2

: a group or set of five: such as

a

: the performers of a quintet

b

: a basketball team

Did you know?

A classical quintet is usually written for strings (usually two violins, two violas, and a cello) or woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn), but brass quintets (two trumpets, horn, trombone, and tuba) have also become popular in North America recently. In jazz, Miles Davis led two famous quintets. In pop music, the Miracles, the Temptations, and the Jackson 5 were immensely popular vocal quintets. In rock, one of the most common instrumental lineups has been a quintet consisting of two guitars, a bass, a keyboard, and drums; famous rock quintets have included the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys.

Examples of quintet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That quintet has totaled 27 strikeouts while giving up just four combined hits. —Chad Bishop, AJC.com, 15 Mar. 2026

What if an American ballerina quintet was dropped into a mob flick in Central Europe? —Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 14 Mar. 2026

Kent’s starting quintet accounted for 88 of the team’s 95 points. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2026

Mirković’s relationship with Tomislav was key in the forward landing in Champaign over the summer to become part of Illinois’ Balkan Five, a quintet of players with Balkan heritage. —Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

quintet from Italian quintetto, from quinto fifth, from Latin quintus; quintette from French, from Italian quintetto

First Known Use

1764, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for quintet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• brevet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette

Kids Definition

quintet

noun

quin·​tet kwin-ˈtet 

1

a

: a musical composition for five instruments or voices

b

: the performers of a quintet

2

: a group or set of five