double bass

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

double basses plural

1. the largest instrument of the violin family, having three or, usually, four strings, rested vertically on the floor when played.

---

double bass British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. Informal name: bass fiddle.  Also called (US): bass viol.  a stringed instrument, the largest and lowest member of the violin family. Range: almost three octaves upwards from E in the space between the fourth and fifth leger lines below the bass staff. It is normally bowed in classical music, but it is very common in a jazz or dance band, where it is practically always played pizzicato

---

adjective

1. of or relating to an instrument whose pitch lies below that regarded as the bass; contrabass

double bass Cultural  

1. Another name for the bass viol.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• double bassist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• double basses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of double bass

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

double bass

At Torres, Levy worked as a double bass coach and taught students across all age groups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 25, 2025

The new material introduced a more mature, rootsy sound for 26-year-old, whose nimble acoustic guitar playing was supplemented by double bass, mandolin and violin.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2024

And on the new Blink album, he played double bass for the first time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2023

His reserved personality belied the cacophonous sounds he could summon with his instrument, a double bass nicknamed Simone that was made in Paris in 1900.

From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

The conductor lifts his baton, and I'm invigorated hearing the familiar passages: the drone of the double bass as the heartrending introduction begins, the strings peeling away layers like birch bark.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper