vocalist
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vocalist
Explanation
Another word for a singer is a vocalist. A large band might include a dozen musicians, a lead vocalist, and a couple of backup vocalists to harmonize. In jazz, it's particularly common to refer to singers as vocalists — it's a way to emphasize that they are musicians, just like the saxophonist and drummer, only a vocalist's instrument is her voice. A guest vocalist might appear on your favorite band's new album, or a band might hire backing vocalists when they perform live. In the early 17th century, this word meant "speaker." It wasn't until the 19th century that the meaning changed to "singer."
Vocabulary lists containing vocalist
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.
Come learn why Greta Matassa was named the 2021 Northwest Jazz Vocalist of the Year by Earshot Jazz as she performs new contemporary jazz material with her recent sextet.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2023
Vocalist Lanegan died in February 2022 at age 57.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 2023
Vocalist Jeffery Kenny sang between two backup dancers wearing gas masks as images of nuclear warning signs displayed on screens behind them.
From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2022
Vocalist Jay Littleton hauntingly sings, “All these words will burn in time / promises of holding the line.”
From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2022
Miss Catharine Hayes, a Vocalist of European reputation, who sang the last winter mainly in Rome, means to visit America in September.
From Glances at Europe In a Series of Letters from Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, &c. During the Summer of 1851. by Greeley, Horace
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.
