reverb

noun

re·​verb ri-ˈvərb How to pronounce reverb (audio)
ˈrē-ˌvərb
: an electronically produced echo effect in recorded music
also : a device for producing reverb

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Each character is given bespoke vocal processing: reverb for the God of Love, a vocoder for Lady Reason, microtonal distortion for Shame. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2023 Miguel Zazueta executed these quick changes with verve, a virtuosic performance enhanced by live electronics adding reverb and spatialization to his sounds. Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2023 While Rev playing distorted riffs on a Farfisa organ and programming primitive beats on an early drum machine, Vega sang dark, strange lyrics through heavy reverb and wielded a motorcycle chain onstage. Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Feb. 2023 The piece experiments with giving each of the three main allegorical foils a distinctive live-electronic vocal processing identity — Lady Reason, angular vocoding; the God of Love, echoey reverb; Shame, angry distortion. Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023 The fairies dress in marvelous, Afro-futurist costumes and wigs, and their voices are miked with an echoey reverb. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2022 With the reverb from his mic serving Pride of the Yankees realness, Washington kicked off the big game with his tribute to Robinson. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 20 July 2022 Last year his team sonified a spiderweb into an eerie melody of rustles and turned a flame’s vibration into a meditation-like reverb of gongs. Sofia Quaglia, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 May 2022 The drums sat in front of the door, which was left open so the sound would bounce around and create natural reverb. Aaron Carnes, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'reverb.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

short for reverberation

First Known Use

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of reverb was in 1953

Dictionary Entries Near reverb

Cite this Entry

“Reverb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.

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