accompaniment

noun

ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment ə-ˈkəm-pə-nē-mənt 

-ˈkəmp-nē-

1

music : an instrumental or vocal part designed to support or complement a melody

sang the song with a piano accompaniment

2

a

: 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

accompanimental

ə-ˌkəm-pə-nē-ˈmen-tᵊl 

-ˌkəmp-nē-

adjective

Synonyms

• attendant
• companion
• concomitant
• corollary
• incident
• obbligato

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

The near-instant acceleration feels unrelenting and unlimited, sensations made more surreal by the accompaniment of relative silence. —Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 Feb. 2025

Now prepare to meet his movie-star alter ego. Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, takes his first leading film role in Hurry Up Tomorrow, a feature-length accompaniment to his sixth album of the same name, coming to theaters May 16. —Jack Smart, People.com, 4 Feb. 2025

The Weeknd is depicted as a curious toddler by filmmaker Eddie Alcazar (Divinity, The Vandal) in the new stop-motion short film Red Terror, an accompaniment to the song of the same name off his latest album release Hurry Up Tomorrow. —Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Feb. 2025

In the Andantino, the wistful melody that is passed around different sections gained emotional depth through the coloristic details Muti brought out in the accompaniment. —Corinna Da Fonseca-Wollheim, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing accompaniment

• to the accompaniment of

Kids Definition

accompaniment

noun

ac·​com·​pa·​ni·​ment ə-ˈkəmp-(ə-)nē-mənt 

1

: music played along with a solo part to enrich it

2

: an accompanying object, situation, or event