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

To refer to the Manhattanite rock quintet as third best in any context feels like music sacrilege. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Fans braved the heat to catch the quintet’s 3 pm performance. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

No, it’s being dragged by two large straps and rolling along on a quintet of wheels, stuffed with dirty laundry or maybe this week’s groceries. — Max Berlinger, Vogue, 13 Aug. 2026

Back when Pitchfork could make or break bands, the website championed the London outfit, propelling the unlikely quintet from dorky purveyors of melodic dance songs to champions of the painfully cool. — David Harris, SPIN, 21 July 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
• binet
• 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