double bass

/ˈdʌ.bl̩beɪs/

noun

A bowed string instrument that sounds an octave below the cello, used in classical, jazz, and folk music.

“Voice of a double bass, or simply, a double bass.”

Similar
bass fiddlebass violbass violinbull fiddlecontrabassdoghouse bassstand-up bassstring bass
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

noundouble bass (plural double basses)

plural double basses · alternative double-bass

  1. A bowed string instrument that sounds an octave below the cello, used in classical, jazz, and folk music.

    Synonyms: bass fiddle, bass viol, bass violin, bull fiddle, contrabass, doghouse bass, stand-up bass, string bass

  2. The deepest of all male voices.

    Voice of a double bass, or simply, a double bass.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA bowed string instrument that sounds an octave below the cello, used in classical, jazz, and folk music.

Similar
bass fiddlebass violbass violinbull fiddlecontrabassdoghouse bassstand-up bassstring bassupright bass

More synonyms by meaning

nounlargest and lowest member of the violin family

Similar
bass fiddlebass violbull fiddlecontrabassstring bass
Broader
bowed stringed instrumentstringbass
Also see
bass fiddlebass violbull fiddlecontrabassstand-up bassstring bass

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Afrikaans kontrabas
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Arabic كَمَان أَجْهَر, كونترباص
  • كَمَان أَجْهَر (kamān ʔajhar)largest instrument of violin family
  • كونترباصlargest instrument of violin family
Bulgarian контрабас, бас профундо
  • контрабас (kontrabas)largest instrument of violin family
  • бас профундо (bas profundo)deepest of male voices
Catalan contrabaix
  • contrabaixlargest instrument of violin family
Chinese Mandarin 低音提琴
  • 低音提琴 (dīyīn tíqín)largest instrument of violin family
Czech kontrabas
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Danish kontrabas
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Dutch contrabas
  • contrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Finnish kontrabasso, bassoviulu
  • kontrabassolargest instrument of violin family
  • bassoviululargest instrument of violin family
  • akustinen bassolargest instrument of violin family
  • kontrabassodeepest of male voices
French contrebasse
  • contrebasselargest instrument of violin family
German Kontrabass
  • Kontrabasslargest instrument of violin family
Greek κοντραμπάσο
  • κοντραμπάσο (kontrampáso)largest instrument of violin family
Hungarian nagybőgő, gordon
  • nagybőgőlargest instrument of violin family
  • gordonlargest instrument of violin family
  • kontrabasszuslargest instrument of violin family
Indonesian bas betot, kontrabas
  • bas betotlargest instrument of violin family
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Irish olldord
  • olldordlargest instrument of violin family
Italian contrabbasso, basso profondo
  • contrabbassolargest instrument of violin family
  • basso profondodeepest of male voices
Japanese コントラバス, コンバス
  • コントラバス (kontorabasu)largest instrument of violin family
  • コンバス (konbasu)largest instrument of violin family
Korean 콘트라베이스
  • 콘트라베이스 (konteurabeiseu)largest instrument of violin family
Norwegian Bokmål kontrabass
  • kontrabasslargest instrument of violin family
Persian کنترباس
  • کنترباس (kontrbâs)largest instrument of violin family
Polish kontrabas, bas
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
  • basdeepest of male voices
Portuguese contrabaixo, baixo profundo
  • contrabaixolargest instrument of violin family
  • baixo profundodeepest of male voices
Romanian contrabas
  • contrabaslargest instrument of violin family
Russian контраба́с
  • контраба́с (kontrabás)largest instrument of violin family
Scottish Gaelic beus, beus-fhìdheall
  • beuslargest instrument of violin family
  • beus-fhìdhealllargest instrument of violin family
  • beus dùbailtelargest instrument of violin family
Spanish contrabajo, bajo profundo
  • contrabajolargest instrument of violin family
  • bajo profundodeepest of male voices
Swedish kontrabas, basfiol
  • kontrabaslargest instrument of violin family
  • basfiollargest instrument of violin family
Thai ดับเบิลเบส
  • ดับเบิลเบส (dàp-bə̂n-bèet)largest instrument of violin family
Turkish kontrbas
  • kontrbaslargest instrument of violin family
Ukrainian контраба́с
  • контраба́с (kontrabás)largest instrument of violin family
Welsh bas dwbl, basgrwth
  • bas dwbllargest instrument of violin family
  • basgrwthlargest instrument of violin family
Cite this entry
APA

double bass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20bass

MLA

“double bass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20bass. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “double bass,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/double%20bass.

Source: double bass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.