bassist

American  

[bay-sist] / ˈbeɪ sɪst /

noun

• bassists
  plural

1. a singer with a bass voice.

2. a player of a bass instrument, especially of the bass viol.

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bassist British  

/ ˈbeɪsɪst /

noun

1. a player of a double bass, esp in a jazz band

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• bassists
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of bassist

First recorded in 1865–70; bass ¹ + -ist

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Explanation

If you're a musician who plays a low-pitched instrument, especially a double bass or a bass guitar, you're a bassist. All bassists play instruments with deep, low tones, and the word derives from a Latin root meaning "low." In a rock band, the bassist usually plays a bass guitar, and along with the drummer, provides the rhythm that forms a song's foundation. The bassist also plays notes that harmonize with the rest of the band's instruments, such as other guitars and keyboards. Classical and jazz bassists do something similar, but they usually play the double bass, the largest instrument of the violin family: It's so big that it is stood upright on the floor while the bassist stands or sits on a high stool to play it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bassist bassists

Gwar bassist Casey Orr confirmed Varga’s death, which came after a cancer battle, in a post to social media on Friday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

Clayton, a bassist who couldn't play bass, was selected on account of having "the best hair".

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

As bassist Jack Dolan lost his glasses while headbanging, guitarist Clay Frankel rolled around on stage, and members of the crowd began surfing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Singer Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg and bassist Zac Cockrell reunited in late 2024 after a six-year split.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Flea, the bassist, was phenomenal, and the front man, Anthony Kiedis, was a cyclone, lunging and pacing and whirling in every direction, belting out the lyrics.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx

But rock-band bassists were in short supply, so I fooled around on the bass.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Four instrumentalists who played with Thomas then — the bassists Lawrence Wolfe and Joseph Hearne, the violinist Ikuko Mizuno and the violist Michael Zaretsky — played with him last weekend, too.

From New York Times ● Aug. 31, 2022

His parents bought him a drum kit when he was 14, and he often played with his next-door neighbor, Dave Green, who became one of England’s top jazz bassists.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 24, 2021

Another exponent of this trend is the group Real Loud: an electrified chamber sextet of dual guitarists, bassists and drummers.

From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2021

And bassists are tall and skinny, like me.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

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