double bass

UK: /ˌdʌb^əlˈbeɪs/ US: /ˈdʌbəl beɪs/ ,(bās)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dou•ble bass /ˈdʌbəl beɪs/  n. [countable]

1. Music and Dance the largest instrument of the violin family.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dou′ble bass′  (bās), 

1. Music and Dance the largest instrument of the violin family, having three or, usually, four strings, rested vertically on the floor when played. Also called bass fiddle, bass viol, contrabass, string bass. 

• 1720–30

dou′ble bass′ist. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

double bass / beɪs/ noun

1. Also called (US): bass viol a stringed instrument, the largest and lowest member of the violin family. Range: almost three octaves upwards from E in the space between the fourth and fifth leger lines below the bass staff. It is normally bowed in classical music, but it is very common in a jazz or dance band, where it is practically always played pizzicato
   Informal name: bass fiddle

adjective double-bass

1. of or relating to an instrument whose pitch lies below that regarded as the bass; contrabass