as in ballads
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a recording artist who arranges his own vocals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of vocals
The song also features Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri on backing vocals.
—
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
Kendrick and Rihanna’s vocals are crisp throughout the song.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Distilled to vocals, guitar, bass, piano and drums as Perry sheds a lifetime of weight, the song ends on a single, resonant power chord — a sonic declaration of liberation.
—Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
The band members are Kris Bergmann on vocals, John Murphy on vocals and keyboards, Andrew Sage on vocals and guitar, Michael Schomaker on guitar, Dave Bell on bass and Mike Racer on drums.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Stefani and the band - including two energetic multitaskers on keyboards, horns and backing vocals - sounded tight and looked playful during the show.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Two minutes later, the guitars have their own moment, jamming for more than a minute with Lewis’ vocals coming in only at the end.
—Tina Eves, SPIN, 4 May 2026
There are soaring layers of harmony vocals, a glistening 12-string-guitar part, driving drum fills that speed the song forward.
—Jack Hamilton, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
But Burnett was on to something — what may most strike you this time around is the utter sonorousness of Starr’s vocals (not to be confused, of course, with Sonor Drums).
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 8 May 2026
Kendrick and Rihanna’s vocals are crisp throughout the song.
—Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 8 May 2026
Distilled to vocals, guitar, bass, piano and drums as Perry sheds a lifetime of weight, the song ends on a single, resonant power chord — a sonic declaration of liberation.
—Pamela Chelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
The band members are Kris Bergmann on vocals, John Murphy on vocals and keyboards, Andrew Sage on vocals and guitar, Michael Schomaker on guitar, Dave Bell on bass and Mike Racer on drums.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Stefani and the band - including two energetic multitaskers on keyboards, horns and backing vocals - sounded tight and looked playful during the show.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 7 May 2026
Two minutes later, the guitars have their own moment, jamming for more than a minute with Lewis’ vocals coming in only at the end.
—Tina Eves, SPIN, 4 May 2026
There are soaring layers of harmony vocals, a glistening 12-string-guitar part, driving drum fills that speed the song forward.
—Jack Hamilton, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2026
But Burnett was on to something — what may most strike you this time around is the utter sonorousness of Starr’s vocals (not to be confused, of course, with Sonor Drums).
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vocals
Noun
-
Not that the album can really be divided into ballads and rockers.—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
-
His silky ballads are uniformly thoughtful and well-constructed, but lack the pathos that would give them greater depth and dimension.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some stories plant deep in your creative brain and come out through songs heard on the radio and random daydreams in the shower.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
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Gorman’s songs have charted on Billboard, and his YouTube account has more than 380 million streams.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, in the White House briefing room this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio filled in for Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary now on maternity leave, quoting rap lyrics in response to questions about Iran.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
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The musical features a book and lyrics by Dan Marshall and music by Julianne Wick Davis.—
Staff report,
Oc Register,
7 May 2026
Noun
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Sometimes that battle is filtered through songs that sound like show tunes or gospel hymns.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
2 May 2026
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In some public schools, including in large cities such as Philadelphia, students of all religions were required to read the Bible and sing Protestant hymns.—
David Mislin,
The Conversation,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vocals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vocals. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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