often attributive
1
a
: vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony
choral music
piano music
recorded music
b
: the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity
2
: a distinctive type or category of music
there is a music for everybody—
Eric Salzman
Eric Salzmanrock music
jazz music
classical music
3
: a musical accompaniment
a play set to music
4
: the score (see score entry 1 sense 6a) of a musical composition set down on paper
leafing through the music
Examples of music in a Sentence
This is one of my favorite pieces of music.
performing music in front of an audience
dancing to the music of a big band
They are writing music for a new album.
a song with music by George Gershwin and words by Ira Gershwin
He is learning to read music.
She studied music in college.
Recent Examples on the Web
Snake has always been adept at combining his production with styles of music from the around the world, with this take on Regional Mexican — outfitted with Pluma’s unmistakable vocals — expanding the French producer’s terrain.
—Katie Bain, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Many have considered how this digital ecosystem influences the buying and selling of music.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
This week features a blend of new music from industry veterans, current stars, and the artists of tomorrow.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more.
—Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
My current music collection has a lot of Romantic music—see my favorite albums…
And a little bit of Everything else…
Preferred format Streaming.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 19 Apr. 2024
Johnson had moved to Los Angeles in 2019 to embark on a career in the music industry.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Inspired by Berlin techno and ‘90s rave music, the score amplifies the stress and strain of the scenes at hand, lending an urgency to the film that already teeters on the precipice of anxiety.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Food trucks, live music and play areas with carnival rides.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
Katie Bain, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024
Many have considered how this digital ecosystem influences the buying and selling of music.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
This week features a blend of new music from industry veterans, current stars, and the artists of tomorrow.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more.
—Rolling Stone, 19 Apr. 2024
My current music collection has a lot of Romantic music—see my favorite albums…
And a little bit of Everything else…
Preferred format Streaming.
—Liza Lentini, SPIN, 19 Apr. 2024
Johnson had moved to Los Angeles in 2019 to embark on a career in the music industry.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Inspired by Berlin techno and ‘90s rave music, the score amplifies the stress and strain of the scenes at hand, lending an urgency to the film that already teeters on the precipice of anxiety.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Food trucks, live music and play areas with carnival rides.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'music.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near music
Cite this Entry
“Music.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/music. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
music
noun
mu·sic
ˈmyü-zik 
1
a
: the art of producing pleasing or expressive combinations of tones especially with melody, rhythm, and usually harmony
b
: a musical composition set down on paper
bring your music
2
a
: sounds that have rhythm, harmony, and melody
b
: an agreeable sound
the music of a brook
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