double bass

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

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

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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

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• double bassist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of double bass

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

“It’s a neurochemical con job. It’s just synaptic, electronic explosions in your brain. It’s just a meat computer,” he says, bursting into his infectious, double bass laugh.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026

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

A double bass bow was laid out, ready for the evening’s performance; attached to it, wobbling in the air, were several black-and-white balloons.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2023

A retired theater director, 74, took his place in the double bass section, near three high school percussionists.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 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