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• bass
  bass

  adjective

  low in pitch; of the lowest pitch or range.
• Bass
  Bass

  noun

  Sam, 1851–78, U.S. outlaw: bank and train robber in the West.

bass

¹ American  

[beys] / beɪs /

adjective

1. low in pitch; of the lowest pitch or range.

   a bass voice; a bass instrument.

2. of or relating to the lowest part in harmonic music.

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noun

1. the bass part.

2. a bass voice, singer, or instrument.

3. double bass.

bass ² American  

[bas] / bæs /

noun

• bass,
  plural
• basses
  plural

1. any of numerous edible, spiny-finned, freshwater or marine fishes of the families Serranidae and Centrarchidae.

2. (originally) the European perch, Perca fluviatilis.

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bass ³ American  

[bas] / bæs /

noun

1. the basswood or linden.

2. bast.

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Bass ⁴ American  

[bas] / bæs /

noun

1. Sam, 1851–78, U.S. outlaw: bank and train robber in the West.

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bass ¹ British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. the lowest adult male voice usually having a range from E a 13th below middle C to D a tone above it

2. a singer with such a voice

3. the lowest part in a piece of harmony See also thorough bass

4. informal short for bass guitar double bass

5. 1. the low-frequency component of an electrical audio signal, esp in a record player or tape recorder

   2. the knob controlling this on such an instrument

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adjective

1. relating to or denoting the bass

   bass pitch

   the bass part

2. denoting the lowest and largest instrument in a family

   a bass trombone

bass ² British  

/ bæs /

noun

1. another name for bast

2. short for basswood

3. Also called: fish bass.  a bast fibre bag for holding an angler's catch

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bass ³ British  

/ bæs /

noun

1. any of various sea perches, esp Morone labrax , a popular game fish with one large spiny dorsal fin separate from a second smaller one See also sea bass stone bass

2. the European perch See perch 2

3. any of various predatory North American freshwater percoid fishes, such as Micropterus salmoides , ( largemouth bass ): family Centrarchidae (sunfishes, etc)

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bass Cultural  

1. The lowest range of the male singing voice. (Compare baritone and tenor.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bassness
  noun
• bassy
  adjective
• bassly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bass
  plural
• basses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of bass¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English bas, bass(e), baas, variant of base ² with ss of basso

Origin of bass²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English bas(e), bace, earlier bærs, Old English bærs, bears (with loss of r before s as in ass ², passel, etc.); cognate with Dutch baars, German Barsch, Old Swedish agh-borre

Origin of bass³

First recorded in 1675–85; variant of bast with unexplained loss of -t

Explanation

A bass sound or instrument is the deepest. If a barbershop quartet sings “Happy Birthday” to you, the guy with the lowest voice is singing the bass part. A bass is also a type of saltwater fish. The word bass has two main meanings with separate pronunciations — bass with a high vowel sound (like base) ironically refers to very low sounds — bass instruments and singers are in the lowest part of the musical range, like the low rumble of a bass guitar. If you say bass with a low vowel sound, it's a type of fish. That kind of bass doesn’t add much to a harmony but is delicious with mashed potatoes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bass Bass basses

Zoe Zeeman swayed back and forth behind her bass, simply dressed in a tee and vintage Lakers shorts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

The narrator is paranoid, weepy and violent, overwhelmed by visions of his own death, and the bass sounds as if it’s descending to a windowless dungeon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The invigorating brass or woody bass of salsa, son and cha-cha-cha are all but gone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

The sound stage felt bludgeoned into submission throughout, as the intense distortion of bass, percussion and guitars made the instrument separation within the mix almost inaudible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The bass and treble clefs were also once moveable, but it is now very rare to see them anywhere but in their standard positions.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

“The approach to homelessness that Mayor Bass has led and defended has brought us here,” Raman said after LAHSA’s report was released.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

In recent days, both California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass have urged the two sides to find common ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

That changed this month, when council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, a key Bass ally, split the committee in two and removed Raman as its chair, effective Sept. 1.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026

There has been increasing pressure on Bonta to engage in settlement talks with Paramount, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and others weighing in recently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

He might have been a bit dumbfounded but Bass never hesitated in accepting the challenge.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

She has created both a three-day “Jazz String Summit” in Chicago and a 15-piece Stringtet, of mostly violins, violas, cellos and basses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

The very, very quiet violas, cellos and basses opening Dvorák’s “New World” Symphony had a soul-filling robustness that even the best headphones couldn’t match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 14, 2025

But as the basses and drums come in, she can feel it through her feet: "You can feel it reverberating through you because it's so powerful."

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2024

The three-story store in Harajuku is filled with Fender guitars, basses and amplifiers, including some exclusive products.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

It was easier for Chester to play the ones written for tenors than the ones for sopranos, contraltos, and basses, but he did them all beautifully.

From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden

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