English Reference

Word

bassist

US/ˈbeɪsɪst/

UK/bˈeɪsɪst/

Definition

n. a musician who plays the bass guitar or the double bass. You usually find them in the background of a band providing the deep, low notes.

n. a musician who performs on a bass instrument, typically a bass guitar or a double bass. Often serves as the rhythmic and harmonic foundation within an ensemble.

Examples

“The bassist played a deep, steady rhythm.”

“After the lead guitarist finished his solo, the bassist took over with a funky, low-pitched melody.”

“While the drummer maintains the tempo, the bassist bridges the gap between rhythm and melody, ensuring the harmonic structure of the song remains cohesive during live performances.”

Examples

simple

“The bassist played a deep, steady rhythm.”

contextual

“After the lead guitarist finished his solo, the bassist took over with a funky, low-pitched melody.”

complex

“While the drummer maintains the tempo, the bassist bridges the gap between rhythm and melody, ensuring the harmonic structure of the song remains cohesive during live performances.”

Etymology

From bass + -ist.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

bassNounbassistNoun

This entry

Level
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/bassist

English Reference