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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vocals
But O’Brien needed music for the vocals, and her guitar skills didn’t feel like a fit.
—
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The catchy song features funkadelic basslines, pulsating drums, and their sharp vocals and rap flow.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The Sphere also re-recorded the orchestral score and made new sound effects for the film, while preserving the original dialogue and vocals.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Sione Vaki of the Detroit Lions went viral for his vocals during his rookie year in 2024, impressing coach Dan Campbell who spoke at length about it during a press conference after the musical moment.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The gravitas of La Muchacha’s lyrics — often of resistance, reflection and mysticism — tells the somber, yet sometimes hopeful, stories of Latin America, often powered by folkloric rhythms, bold vocals and nostalgic acoustic guitars.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2025
Their unvarnished alt-rock was led by wild-eyed singer Matt Shultz, a human rubber band who exhausted himself despite his vocals disappearing into the strong breeze.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Switching between on and off for this feature revealed that the change in delivery was quite subtle, but the mid zone occupied by guitars and vocals did take a small step back in the mix when the volume was lower.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
But 2023’s The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, is a beautiful retelling of the mermaid’s story and definitely worth a watch, especially for Bailey’s stunning vocals.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
The catchy song features funkadelic basslines, pulsating drums, and their sharp vocals and rap flow.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The Sphere also re-recorded the orchestral score and made new sound effects for the film, while preserving the original dialogue and vocals.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Sione Vaki of the Detroit Lions went viral for his vocals during his rookie year in 2024, impressing coach Dan Campbell who spoke at length about it during a press conference after the musical moment.
—Skyler Caruso, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025
The gravitas of La Muchacha’s lyrics — often of resistance, reflection and mysticism — tells the somber, yet sometimes hopeful, stories of Latin America, often powered by folkloric rhythms, bold vocals and nostalgic acoustic guitars.
—Tere Aguilera, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2025
Their unvarnished alt-rock was led by wild-eyed singer Matt Shultz, a human rubber band who exhausted himself despite his vocals disappearing into the strong breeze.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Switching between on and off for this feature revealed that the change in delivery was quite subtle, but the mid zone occupied by guitars and vocals did take a small step back in the mix when the volume was lower.
—New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2025
But 2023’s The Little Mermaid, starring Halle Bailey as Ariel, is a beautiful retelling of the mermaid’s story and definitely worth a watch, especially for Bailey’s stunning vocals.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vocals
Noun
-
Performed from a third-person perspective, the perspective of the blues, Nourished by Time spins an old-fashioned yarn about a man working a restaurant job and writing ballads at night.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
30 Aug. 2025
-
The king of romantic ballads made a killing buying and selling property in Indian Creek Village, aka Billionaire Bunker.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Busta Rhymes also took the stage for a medley of his songs before he was honored with the Rock the Bells Visionary Award.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Interestingly, just like Lisa, BTS have won the Best K-Pop award for songs sung primarily in both Korean and English.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
There are MCs out there that care and who have the utmost desire to bring the best bars, the best lyrics, the best subject matter, the best energy to every song and to every moment.—
Lynnette Nicholas,
Essence,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Several other videos dubbing Skrilla's lyrics grew in popularity at the start of 2025.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vocals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vocals. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share