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slap bass

British

noun

a rock or jazz style of playing the electric or double bass in which the strings are plucked and released so as to vibrate sharply against the fretboard or fingerboard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

That’s how Larry Graham came up with slap bass.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

With its distinctive slap bass and riotous laugh track, “Seinfeld” both captures a singular moment in 1990s Manhattan and transcends its era.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 22, 2024

Though “Squeeze” may embrace genre signifiers like double kick drums and slap bass, it’s far from a typical metal album.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2022

Side One kicks off with “Rock This Town,” driven by a slap bass line straight out of 1950s Memphis and a video that highlighted their distinctive look.

From Washington Post • May 21, 2019

If you can't see them, you miss one of the more remarkable sights that Glastonbury 2010 has to offer: Thom Yorke of Radiohead, playing a slap bass solo while wearing a headband.

From The Guardian • Jun. 26, 2010

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023