crescendo
Music.
a gradual, steady increase in loudness or force.
a musical passage characterized by such an increase.
the performance of a crescendo passage: The crescendo by the violins is too abrupt.
a steady increase in force or intensity: The rain fell in a crescendo on the rooftops.
the climactic point or moment in such an increase; peak: The authorities finally took action when public outrage reached a crescendo.
gradually increasing in force, volume, or loudness (opposed to decrescendo or diminuendo).
to grow in force or loudness.
Origin of crescendo
1Opposites for crescendo
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use crescendo in a sentence
The performance really crescendoed when the band kicked in and Taylor started tossing her hair around all Beyoncé-like.
Beyonce Gave the Best Grammy Awards Performance (And 8 More That Were Pretty Good, Too) | Kevin Fallon | January 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hoofbeats of horse and rohorse crescendoed; there was the resounding clang!
A Knyght Ther Was | Robert F. YoungThe approaching knight and steed loomed larger; the sound of hoofbeats crescendoed into staccato thunder.
A Knyght Ther Was | Robert F. YoungIt was followed by a grating noise that crescendoed and culminated in a terrific crash.
Spillthrough | Daniel F. GalouyeHer sustained and crescendoed high C in the third act of this opera is worth a long journey to hear.
Stars of the Opera | Mabel Wagnalls
British Dictionary definitions for crescendo
/ (krɪˈʃɛndəʊ) /
music
a gradual increase in loudness or the musical direction or symbol indicating this: Abbreviation: cresc, (written over the music affected) ≺
(as modifier): a crescendo passage
a gradual increase in loudness or intensity: the rising crescendo of a song
a peak of noise or intensity: the cheers reached a crescendo
(intr) to increase in loudness or force
with a crescendo
Origin of crescendo
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for crescendo
[ (kruh-shen-doh) ]
A musical direction used to indicate increasing loudness.
Notes for crescendo
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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