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Synonyms

accompanist

American  
[uh-kuhm-puh-nist, uh-kuhmp-nist] / əˈkʌm pə nɪst, əˈkʌmp nɪst /
Also accompanyist

noun

  1. Music. a person who plays an accompaniment.


accompanist British  
/ əˈkʌmpəniːɪst, əˈkʌmpnɪst, əˈkʌmpənɪst /

noun

  1. a person who plays a musical accompaniment for another performer, esp a pianist accompanying a singer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of accompanist

First recorded in 1825–35; accompan(y) + -ist

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Since I had a piano accompanist at home—my dad—I focused on singing and would perform for anyone who’d listen.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

Not to be forgotten: associate music director and pianist Riley Brule, who transcends the role of accompanist with a few choice interjections and a sight gag involving a pair of moose antlers.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2023

When it’s multiple scenes and a dance, ‘Sing an original song’ — that requires a lot of effort, to sit down with music, hire an accompanist, learn choreography — anything under 24 hours feels disrespectful.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 25, 2023

There’s Hahn the working mother, playing with one of her two children as her impromptu accompanist, or stealing a quiet moment after midnight, exhausted.

From New York Times • Mar. 14, 2023

Who should be her accompanist when she returned?

From "The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights" by Russell Freedman