accompaniment

American  

[uh-kuhm-puh-ni-muhnt, uh-kuhmp-ni-] / əˈkʌm pə nɪ mənt, əˈkʌmp nɪ- /

noun

• accompaniments
  plural

1. something incidental or added for ornament, symmetry, etc.

2. Music. a part in a composition designed to serve as background and support for more important parts.

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accompaniment British  

/ əˈkʌmpənɪmənt, əˈkʌmpnɪ- /

noun

1. something that accompanies or is served or used with something else

2. something inessential or subsidiary that is added, as for ornament or symmetry

3. music a subordinate part for an instrument, voices, or an orchestra

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonaccompaniment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accompaniments
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of accompaniment

First recorded in 1725–35; accompany + -ment

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Explanation

If your menu tonight consists of grilled pork and savory apples, then the pork is the main item and the apples are the accompaniment, meaning they complement the main dish. The noun accompaniment entered English in the eighteenth century and originally was used in a musical sense to describe a part in a song that supports or acts as background for another more prominent part. Its meaning later expanded to include not only musical assistance but other things that completes or make better the main thing. You’ll often hear it used to describe a food that supports the main item on a plate.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accompaniment accompaniments

There is absolutely nothing about concert attendance that requires accompaniment!

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

Her pure, warm soprano shone especially in the lament “Lungi da te, mio bene” with its mournful horn accompaniment, as Sifare realizes the hopelessness of his and Aspasia’s love.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Rather, it was accompaniment: feeding, sheltering, driving, watching, and warning so no one had to move in isolation.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

He asks his mother to run through the death scene with a different sequence of movements and introduces the accompaniment of George Crotty on cello to liberate her performance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026

The Midland High band played “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” then “Come a Little Bit Closer” to the accompaniment of hundreds of little American flags bobbing up and down.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

Elegantly played laments and dances were woven between the text sections, and sometimes skillfully repurposed as their background accompaniments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

That dish taught me something fundamental: raw produce, when treated with care—properly washed, dried and cut — and paired with the right accompaniments can be spectacular.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2025

Sliced thinly and served with these accompaniments, this steak makes a meal that can’t be outflanked!

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 2, 2023

Wang, along with Dudamel, who was propulsive and extravagantly detailed in the accompaniments, went instead for the dynamism of our times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2023

Soft piano or violin concertos with orchestral accompaniments work well.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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