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 appeared in only 10 games overall together, outscoring teams by 12 points in their 126 minutes of cumulative court time. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026

Of the quintet, Yoshida figures to play the least. —Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 28 Mar. 2026

Coltrane was an obscure journeyman when Davis, who’d already played a key role in several evolutionary jazz leaps, hired him in 1955 to join his quintet. —Andrew Gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026

The Huskers were the only one of that quintet to rank in the top 10 defensively. —ABC News, 23 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