duet
Americannoun
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duets
plural
noun
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Also called (esp for instrumental compositions): duo. a musical composition for two performers or voices
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an action or activity performed by a pair of closely connected individuals
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of duet
1730–40; earlier duett < Italian duetto, equivalent to du ( o ) duet + -etto -et
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Explanation
A duet is two people singing or playing musical instruments together. You and your brother might be a popular sidewalk duet with your fiddle-accordion combo. If you have tickets for a musical duet, you'll be watching and listening to two performers. You can also call the composition that's written for the two of them a duet, since it has parts for two instruments. Two dancers can also perform a duet, a dance especially choreographed for a couple. Duet stems from the Italian duetto, "musical composition for two voices," from duo, or "two."
Vocabulary lists containing duet
Music - Introductory
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Music - Middle School
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It Takes Two: Di
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Just months before her death in August at age 80, Parton had recorded a duet with Bono that will be included in U2’s upcoming album, “Carnaval de Luz,” the band announced Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
A street performer singing Coldplay covers unknowingly had a duet with the band’s singer Chris Martin.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Later, the two blended poignantly in the opera’s only duet, in which they grieve over their seemingly inevitable fate—they must die together.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The 20-year-old, who goes by the social media name 'Sacha', asked the pop start to duet with him.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The odd, wolfish duet floated through the air: this time it was a pair of high-pitched, girlish howls, followed by a deep and manly one.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Together, they recorded 13 albums and scored 20 hit duets over the next seven years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
R&B singer Peabo Bryson, well known for his duets from beloved Disney classics ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ suffered a stroke, according to his representatives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
A musician and former X Factor finalist has released videos in which he duets with recordings of himself from before his transition from being female.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
During the performance, Madonna and Carpenter sang duets of Vogue and Like A Prayer.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
Celia used to play duets with her Ti'a Alicia, side by side on the piano bench.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
