Meaning & use
accompanist
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Meanings
nouncountable
A musician who plays the supporting part for a singer or another instrumentalist.
Grammar: Countable: say an accompanist or two accompanists; the music they play is the accompaniment.
Patterns
- accompanist for someone
- someone's accompanist
- work as an accompanist
She hired an accompanist to play for her singing exam.
The cellist's accompanist stayed slightly behind the beat.
As a piano accompanist, he learns dozens of new songs every month.
nouncountable
Someone whose job is to play background music for dancers, a choir, or a class.
Grammar: Same countable pattern; often used with for plus the group being supported.
Patterns
- accompanist for a choir
- ballet accompanist
The ballet company keeps two accompanists on staff.
She works as an accompanist for a community choir on Sundays.
Word forms
| plural | accompanists |
|---|
Common combinations
- piano accompanist
- A good piano accompanist listens more than plays.
- work as an accompanist
- He worked as an accompanist in a dance school for years.
- accompanist for someone
- They needed an accompanist for the young violinist.
- rehearse with an accompanist
- Book a room so you can rehearse with an accompanist.
- sought-after accompanist
- She is a sought-after accompanist in the city's concert halls.
Synonyms and how they differ
- backing musician
- Broader and more informal; it covers drummers and guitarists too, while accompanist usually suggests a piano or a single supporting player.
- collaborative pianist
- A formal modern term for a pianist who works as an equal partner rather than a hired helper; accompanist is the everyday word.
Opposites
Word family
- accompany verb
- to play or sing the supporting part for someone
- accompaniment noun
- the supporting music itself, not the person playing it
- accompanied adjective
- played or sung with a supporting part, as in an accompanied sonata
Commonly confused: accompanist or accompaniment?
accompanist vs accompaniment
Accompaniment is the music; an accompanist is the person. Say 'she sang with piano accompaniment' but 'her accompanist arrived late.'
Practice
Which sentence uses the word correctly?
Choose one answer.
Accompanist is the countable noun for the person who plays the supporting part. Accompaniment is the music, accompany is a verb, and accompanying is not a noun for a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “accompanist”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.