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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

Godrich says he plays bass in the live group because it’s easy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Shout out to future “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, who joined Journey for “Raised on Radio” and proceeded to lay down the slinkiest, sultriest, funkiest bass line the band had ever known.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Image: Punks with Dolly and Harriet, featuring Ian Anderson who became the singer with Crazyhead, and Robber Byker who went on to be the bass player with Gaye Bykers on Acid.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

But getting dressed required parental assistance, the bass pulsing off the sandstone was a techno remix of “The Wheels on the Bus,” and the drinks were apple juice and formula.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The car engine rumbles and the bass of the stereo makes the seat vibrate, but I don’t drive off.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Not bad for something that looks like you could find at Bass Pro Shops, among the tackleboxes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

"We planned on the 1st September to do this massive restoration project to deal with the previous floods and now we're not going to be able to," Bass said.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, speaking near the crash site Tuesday evening, described the events as a devastating loss for the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

But pressed by reporters on whether he would endorse Bass for reelection, Caruso demurred, calling both Bass and Councilmember Raman “tough choices.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Bass and the other archaeologists concluded the merchant captain of the ship used these broken implements as scrap bronze, which he or someone else could melt down to make brand-new tools.

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

Their appearance was a sensation – combining sheer technical skill with a thrilling joie de vivre, as they span their double basses, twirled their trumpets and clattered their cowbells, all while clad in Venezuelan-flag jackets.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

Unless it turns out multiple Fender basses were left in pieces at the Nirvana video shoot three decades ago, one of them is fake.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

As the lights dimmed, a single E-flat, sustained by the double basses, emerged out of the silence.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 14, 2023

The double basses and timpani are rolled in, and helping to wheel in a harp is a woman with a turquoise scarf over blond hair, wearing sunglasses and deep red lipstick.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

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