coincidence in pitch of two or more musical tones, voices, etc.
the musical interval of a perfect prime.
the performance of musical parts at the same pitch or at the octave.
a sounding together in octaves, especially of male and female voices or of higher and lower instruments of the same class.
a process in which all elements behave in the same way at the same time; simultaneous or synchronous parallel action.
to march in unison.
music
the interval between two sounds of identical pitch
(modifier) played or sung at the same pitch
unison singing
complete agreement; harmony (esp in the phrase in unison )
1565–75; < Medieval Latin ūnisonus of a single sound, equivalent to Latin ūni- uni- + sonus sound
The noun unison describes something that is synchronized or simultaneous, like when someone asks a question and you and your friend respond with the exact same answer at the same moment. When something is said in unison, two or more voices sound like one. Unison comes from the Latin root words uni, meaning "one," and sonous, meaning "sound." So unison literally means one sound, and in music, it still retains that meaning. Unison occurs when two or more people play or sing the same pitch or in octaves. Outside of music, you may have experienced unison speaking when your class recites something together or unison movement when a group performs a dance routine.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Robots were everywhere, dancing in unison, making cappuccinos, shooting soccer goals, massaging visitors and playing the piano.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Crowds of men in matching tracksuits clapped in unison and waved national flags as sand-coloured stallion Hankerven, adorned with jewellery and a traditional carpet, clinched the top prize.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
Or when the owners warned that the two Irish wolfhounds on the property tended to look in unison and bark at things that weren’t there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026
O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, combustible but extraordinary in unison.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Back on flat land, we entered the final stretch and gasped in unison.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
UNISON, Unite and GMB are taking action on 21 December.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2022
Dave Prentis, the leader of Britain's second largest union UNISON, said the Royal Liverpool Hospital site had become "an epic monument to failure".
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2018
UNISON, the second-largest, which represents public-sector workers, used to rely on its workplace stewards to get new members.
From Economist ● Sep. 17, 2015
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.
