as in ballads
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a recording artist who arranges his own vocals
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Recent Examples of vocals
The innovators were led by the Foo Fighters, with The Pretty Reckless’ Taylor Momsen on lead vocals as the make-shift unit provided the most creative and revelatory performance of the night.
—
Melinda Newman, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2026
The record is heavy on Ketchum’s baritone vocals and electric honky-tonk sound that helped the Train Robbers gain a fanbase in the Pacific Northwest since their 2017 debut, Gravel.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Fans can look forward to an unforgettable night of iconic hits, powerhouse vocals, and timeless rock energy.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Here, Segall abandons all instruments to concentrate on vocals, leaving his session players to gel into a real band.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Some of Butler’s songs are mere snippets, some are full-length numbers, often with vocals in the three-part harmony familiar from the time.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
And the same can be said for the other recent Megadeth albums – Mustaine’s vocals often feel like a burden to the songs, and the band’s instrumentalists do most of the heavy lifting, including Mustaine himself.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In 1977, Vandross introduced Anderson to Rodgers and his writing partner Bernard Edwards, who were forming the then-new group, Chic, with Tony Thompson on drums and Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Along with the obviously wonderful vocals, there’s so much alchemy with the great instrumental parts by the Funk Brothers, with James Jamerson on bass and Robert White on guitar, contributing these incredible musical licks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Melinda Newman, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2026
The record is heavy on Ketchum’s baritone vocals and electric honky-tonk sound that helped the Train Robbers gain a fanbase in the Pacific Northwest since their 2017 debut, Gravel.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Fans can look forward to an unforgettable night of iconic hits, powerhouse vocals, and timeless rock energy.
—Lucia Cheng, Des Moines Register, 30 Jan. 2026
Here, Segall abandons all instruments to concentrate on vocals, leaving his session players to gel into a real band.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 30 Jan. 2026
Some of Butler’s songs are mere snippets, some are full-length numbers, often with vocals in the three-part harmony familiar from the time.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
And the same can be said for the other recent Megadeth albums – Mustaine’s vocals often feel like a burden to the songs, and the band’s instrumentalists do most of the heavy lifting, including Mustaine himself.
—Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In 1977, Vandross introduced Anderson to Rodgers and his writing partner Bernard Edwards, who were forming the then-new group, Chic, with Tony Thompson on drums and Norma Jean Wright on lead vocals.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 23 Dec. 2024
Along with the obviously wonderful vocals, there’s so much alchemy with the great instrumental parts by the Funk Brothers, with James Jamerson on bass and Robert White on guitar, contributing these incredible musical licks.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vocals
Noun
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These interludes are like ballads in-between heavy power chord tunes at a stadium rock concert; an experience somewhat akin to watching a big loud action movie such as this.—
Richard Kuipers,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2026
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Months after its release, singles from the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers wound their way up the radio charts alongside alt-rock holdovers and glistening pop ballads.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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So many songs, poems, novels, films, and gags.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
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Some K-pop songs, just in their surface-level presentation, put their cross-cultural assimilations up front.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The video is just as angry as the song’s lyrics and delivery, cutting disturbing (but not graphic) footage from ICE’s clashes with demonstrators in the city with Springsteen performing the song in his home studio.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
29 Jan. 2026
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The song also has writing and production credits from Mark Sonnenblick and Ian Eisendrath, known for their work on musicals for stage and screen, and its key features — the story-forward lyrics sung mostly in English and the ascendant, spotlit hook — are built toward those ends.—
Sheldon Pearce,
NPR,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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At the end of the service, after the hymns and prayers, the congregation stood to applaud, and the pastor stepped back.—
Sarah Bahari,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
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But a few Welsh place names have been added, along with Welsh-language hymns.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vocals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vocals. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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