reverb

noun

re·​verb ˈrē-ˌvərb  ri-ˈvərb 

plural reverbs

1

: an electronically produced echo effect in live and recorded music

The new record is shrouded in damp clouds of reverb, with faint impressions of its jangling guitars sneaking through like the sun behind an overcast sky.

—Jude Noel

[Lykke] Li's vocals are soaked in reverb, guitars and drums echoing in the background, turning the song into a dark, emotional plea from a heartbroken lover.

—Shaina Pearlman

The audience will hear the orchestra acoustically and the effects pedals through the amplification system. Those effects will include vibrato, distortions, pitch and timbral modulations, echoes and reverbs.

—Kerry Clawson

a reverb effect/sound

2

: something (such as a device, a feature, or a software application) for producing reverb

Thankfully, Vox added a built-in reverb into the amp …

—Alexander Briones

—usually used before another noun

analog/digital reverb units

adjusted the reverb settings

When you buy a reverb pedal, there's almost always a knob that lets you select the type of reverb that you want.

—Michael Pierce and Giulio Chiarenza

Examples of reverb in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pop-rock track at times evokes the distinctive vintage sound of ’70s rock classics, driven by electric guitar, with vocals wrapped in reverb effects and captivating melodies. —Griselda Flores, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024

These are things that only occur to obsessives who’ve spent hours debating, say, exactly how much reverb should be on the drums in that four-second passage on the second chorus. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

For example, there's no head-tracking, just an odd mix of reverb and EQ effects. —PCMAG, 17 Mar. 2024

The songs collage together scenes and observations amid country-rock arrangements that glimmer with reverb and feature loose, lassoing guitar solos. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024

His voice had lots of reverb and there was instrumentation backing his vocals, including plenty of pedal steel. —William Earl, Variety, 11 Feb. 2024

The guitar must be warm but just a bit bright, with a touch of drive and a long-tail reverb that hangs in the air. —Katie Thornton, Rolling Stone, 21 Jan. 2024

Now the reverb is drowned out by a professional vocal isolation booth. —Bethonie Butler, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2024

Sometimes the vocals have a little more reverb, but that doesn’t describe Hotline necessarily. —Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

short for reverberation

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing reverb

• reverb pedal