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accompaniment

noun
ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment | \ É™-ˈkÉ™m-pÉ™-nÄ“-mÉ™nt How to pronounce accompaniment (audio) , -ˈkÉ™mp-nÄ“-\

Definition of accompaniment

1 music : an instrumental or vocal part designed to support or complement a melody sang the song with a piano accompaniment
2a : an addition (such as an ornament) intended to give completeness or symmetry to something : complement a tie that's a nice accompaniment to his new suit
b : an accompanying situation or occurrence : concomitant studied Italian as an accompaniment to her art history class
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Other Words from accompaniment

accompanimental \ -​ËŒkÉ™m-​pÉ™-​nÄ“-​ˈmen-​tᵊl How to pronounce accompanimental (audio) , -​ËŒkÉ™mp-​nÄ“-​ \ adjective

Examples of accompaniment in a Sentence

She sings without musical accompaniment. A nice tie was a fine accompaniment to his new suit. This dish can be served as an accompaniment to most meat main dishes. This wine is a good accompaniment for spicy foods. She studied Italian as an accompaniment to her classes in art history.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Serve this salsa with chips or as an accompaniment to fish, pork or chicken. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Gift for cooking experiments brings County Fair ribbons galore," 3 Sep. 2019 His fellow bandmates are attentive in their accompaniment. — G.k. | Glasgow And Edinburgh, The Economist, "A young Scottish pianist marries folk with jazz," 9 Aug. 2019 Much of the accompaniment is glockenspiel and piano, along with a children's choir that joins in with Peppa and her friends. — Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, "Peppa Pig just dropped her new, long-awaited album. It's no 'Baby Shark'," 19 July 2019 Some of the evening’s most engaging work surfaced in vocal ensembles, the intertwining melodic strands of Rachvelishvili, Stoyanova and Meli pushed ever forward by the rush of the orchestral accompaniment. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "CSO review: Muti kicks off season’s end with sumptuous ‘Aida’," 22 June 2019 Fried or roasted potatoes are the classic accompaniment for Piri Piri Chicken. — Simran Singh, The Mercury News, "Quick Cook: How to make Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken," 22 July 2019 The company includes athletic actors who manage handstands in the scenes in the woods, and others who provide musical accompaniment on an array of instruments. — Terry Byrne, BostonGlobe.com, "A fairy tale vision for Shakespeare on the Common," 11 July 2019 For goats, a side dish of sand and dust is the normal accompaniment for a hearty meal of grass and plants. — Lakshmi Supriya, Science | AAAS, "Why dirt-eating goats never need to visit the dentist," 21 June 2019 Your sommelier—often the disarmingly approachable Miliotes—might stop by to offer a straightforward explanation for why the Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino is the ideal accompaniment for the skirt steak. — Suzanne Rowan Kelleher, Condé Nast Traveler, "Disney World Wants Its Food to Be Just As Memorable As Its Rides," 6 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'accompaniment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of accompaniment

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for accompaniment

accompany + -ment, on the model of French accompagnement, going back to Old French acompaignement "feudal power-sharing contract," derivative of acompaigner "to accompany"

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More Definitions for accompaniment

accompaniment

noun
How to pronounce accompaniment (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of accompaniment

: music played to support a person who is singing or playing a musical instrument
: something that is added to another thing to make it better or more appealing especially : something added to or served with food or a meal
: something that is done or that happens at the same time as something else

See the full definition for accompaniment in the English Language Learners Dictionary

accompaniment

noun
ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment | \ É™-ˈkÉ™m-pÉ™-nÄ“-mÉ™nt How to pronounce accompaniment (audio) \

Kids Definition of accompaniment

: music played in support of someone singing or playing an instrument

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More from Merriam-Webster on accompaniment

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for accompaniment

Spanish Central: Translation of accompaniment

Nglish: Translation of accompaniment for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of accompaniment for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about accompaniment

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