as in ballads
a short musical composition for the human voice often with instrumental accompaniment
a recording artist who arranges his own vocals
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Recent Examples of vocals
Electric guitars and chanting vocals form the basis of that sound.
—
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 May 2026
Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi over the course of a week, the record features a backing band of Josh Halper, Nick Corson, and MJ Lenderman, the latter of whom tackles drums, guitar, and backing vocals.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026
The actress ended up taking months of dance lessons for the movie, in addition to working on her vocals for a year during postproduction and returning to the studio with Antonoff to re-record most of her part.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 May 2026
Sent me his vocals in very little time.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026
The latter version was used in Witten, with Sofia Jernberg delivering the live vocals, Keren Motseri contributing the recorded part, and Yalda Zamani conducting the WDR Symphony.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Yungblud mixes punk and rock with his vocals.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Tony nominee Marla Mindelle, who plays Céline, is an estimable loon — a loon with enviable comedic chops and glorious vocals.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 15 May 2026
At the same time, Rihanna and Lamar's vocals sound nice and rich.
—Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 15 May 2026
Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 23 May 2026
Recorded in Oxford, Mississippi over the course of a week, the record features a backing band of Josh Halper, Nick Corson, and MJ Lenderman, the latter of whom tackles drums, guitar, and backing vocals.
—Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 22 May 2026
The actress ended up taking months of dance lessons for the movie, in addition to working on her vocals for a year during postproduction and returning to the studio with Antonoff to re-record most of her part.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 21 May 2026
Sent me his vocals in very little time.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 19 May 2026
The latter version was used in Witten, with Sofia Jernberg delivering the live vocals, Keren Motseri contributing the recorded part, and Yalda Zamani conducting the WDR Symphony.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Yungblud mixes punk and rock with his vocals.
—Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2026
Tony nominee Marla Mindelle, who plays Céline, is an estimable loon — a loon with enviable comedic chops and glorious vocals.
—Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 15 May 2026
At the same time, Rihanna and Lamar's vocals sound nice and rich.
—Christian De Looper, PC Magazine, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vocals
Noun
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On the last Unusual Tuesday of April, Zabaglio performed soft electric-indie ballads to a roar of applause as the first act of the night.—
Christopher Buchanan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
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Devin Archer richly interprets Emile’s romantic ballads, French accent and all, while Cindy Chang brings some honest dignity to Bloody Mary and Anthony Maggio’s Cabel goes far beyond the standard-issue tenor.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The show is designed to teach life skills through music, from trying new veggies to winding down for bed, with songs and content that have become a go-to resource for millions of parents looking to learn and bond with their children.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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In fact, she’s been struggling to write songs for several years due to the traumatic experience of being raped in high school.—
Katie Mannion,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Rob turtled inside the plastic covering while viewers heard a soundtrack of tritely soulful country lyrics about being a house of cards that’s about to break.—
Anna Peele,
Vanity Fair,
14 May 2026
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Frank Sinatra would never have allowed that monster in the White House to use his music or put his lyrics in his mouth.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Blues developed after the Civil War (1861–65) and was influenced by 19th-century work songs and field hollers, minstrel show music, ragtime, and church music such as spirituals and hymns, as well as the folk and popular music of white Southerners.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
15 May 2026
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The inspiring and idiosyncratic debut from a 53-year-old priest in Greece pinballs between drone metal and techno Christmas carols, field recordings and hymns.—
Grayson Haver Currin,
Pitchfork,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vocals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vocals. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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