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music

music

268 1.0
A sound or group of sounds that is pleasant to hear
  • noun
  • /ˈmjuːzɪk/
translation icon : música
  • Listening to classical music can be very soothing after a long day.
  • listen to music
  • play music
  • background music

The bright flashing lights, loud music, the loud unguarded talking.

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Examples

  • I'm very interested in music, in jazz.

  • Anyway, I was coming down Beale Street and I heard this music coming from a saloon.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • You hear music, great music if it's a good sound.

  • But the nature of their music did change a bit.

  • Often, town bands do not read music, but competition is increasing the numbers that do.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The drum of water was like music in her head, in her heart.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I love the sound of the Italian language; there is music in it to my ear.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • There were cheers and music and hugs and dancing.

  • The shouts, laughter, and music from the field where the games were held had ceased.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The office door was locked, but the sound of music was plainly audible.

    Fiction book (1990)

Idioms

19 4.5

Accept and deal with unpleasant results or criticism for something you did

News that makes someone feel very happy or relieved

Work well together as a team and achieve great results

Compounds

100 1.4

A style of popular music from the southern United States with simple tunes and storytelling lyrics often played on guitar

Music that is formal and often played by orchestras, mainly from Europe since the 1700s

36 1.0

Songs with a catchy tune that many people like

33 1.6

Popular songs with loud electric guitars and a strong beat

28 1.6

Music played in front of people, not from a recording

26 2.3

Music with fast rhyming speech spoken over a beat

23 3.1

A small box that plays a tune when you wind it

A musical work like a song or music played by instruments

21 1.1

A person who gives music lessons to students

19 1.0

Music that many people like and often hear on radio

18 2.0

Traditional songs and tunes that tell a community's stories and ways

16 1.4

Music with a strong beat that people dance to at parties

A person who leads the music for a group like an orchestra

15 3.0

Printed pages with music notes used for playing a song

music critic
  • Literature
11 3.7

A person who writes reviews of music performances or recordings

11 2.4

A person who enjoys listening to music and goes to concerts

8 2.1

A school where students learn to play and study music

Music for a small group of instruments, like a string quartet, played for a small audience

Music created using electronic devices like computers and synthesizers

7 2.8

Music made by Black artists, like blues, jazz, gospel, and hip hop

Music with no singing, played on a piano or guitar

6 1.0

A time when a teacher shows you how to play an instrument or sing

5 4.1

Music that creates a certain feeling for people

A type of loud, powerful rock with strong guitar sounds, fast drums, and angry lyrics

4 1.9

Dance music with a strong steady beat for dancing in clubs from the 1970s

A part of a school that teaches music to students

4 2.3

Music sung or played during Christian services

A collection of songs or sheet music kept for people to use

4 1.6

A thing that holds sheet music so a musician can read it while playing

music hall
  • Archaic
3 6.2

A building where people watch live shows like songs, comedy, and short acts

3 1.8

Music played on a piano

3 2.3

Music from Ireland played on instruments like the fiddle and flute

2 7.4

An old, simple type of country music from the mountains of the southern United States

2 3.7

A style of pop music with echoing guitars and songs about the beach and waves

A natural ability to recognize and enjoy music

Songs or pieces people sing in places of worship to show faith

1 3.9

A lively style of jazz with a strong beat that big bands play

chin music
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Talk that is useless and does not help

Music played without electronic sound equipment, using only natural instruments and voices

Music that people play at a funeral to remember someone, usually slow and sad

1 3.0

A type of music with a certain style, like rock or jazz

Music that people listen to carefully, like symphonies and operas

1 2.9

Music that people sing with or without instruments

A group of musicians, places, and music shows in one area

Music with a strong regular beat played by bands for parades

Lively music with a strong beat played for soldiers marching or military parades

A person who loves music and often listens to it or goes to concerts

music hall
  • Archaic
1 7.8

A show with songs, jokes, and short acts that was popular in Britain long ago

1 9.9

An old idea that the movements of planets and stars make a perfect, silent harmony in the universe

Music that plays during a play or film to support the action

A place where people learn to play and study music

beat music
  • Archaic
1 4.0

A style of pop rock from 1960s Britain with strong rhythms and simple melodies

Music created by Black Americans, like spirituals, blues, and jazz

A degree in music from a university after three or four years

1 3.4

Music from a cultural group that shows its customs and daily life

1 3.0

Paper with lines for writing music notes

A style of music from the 1970s that uses harsh, machine-like sounds and shocking ideas

1 1.2

Written notes for the piano

symphonic music
  • Specialized
1 5.1

Music written for a large orchestra, often long and complex

chance music
  • Specialized
9.9

Music in which some sounds happen by accident or by a player's choice

9.9

A type of drum and bass with playful, bouncy beats and silly sound effects

concerted music
  • Specialized
7.3

Music for several singers or players, each with a different part

Music people dance to in a ballroom, like waltz or foxtrot

A part of a university that teaches music and organizes concerts

Doctor of Music
  • Specialized
6.7

A university degree that shows advanced study or performance in music

absolute music
  • Specialized
7.9

Music without words that has no story and focuses on its sound and structure

12-tone music
  • Specialized
9.1

A way of writing music that uses all twelve notes in a fixed order

aleatoric music
  • Specialized
9.9

Music where chance or the performer decides which sounds happen

aleatory music
  • Specialized
9.9

Music where some parts are left to chance or the performer's choice during a performance

Music played for couples to dance to, like the waltz

9.6

European pop music that people say is cheap and low quality

Brisk rhythmic music played by bands for soldiers to march or at ceremonies

monophonic music
  • Specialized
6.6

Music with a single melody and no harmony

How Pleasant

harmony
38 2.8
melody
146 1.8
music
268 1.0
sound
1.0
noise
1.0

Surface Forms

music singular
musics plural

Etymology

Music also comes from the Greek mousike, 'art of the Muses', but it later grew to mean any sound that is pleasant or harmonious. So we call things like the rain or rustling leaves 'music' because they make pleasant sounds.