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• crest
  crest

  noun

  the highest part of a hill or mountain range; summit.
• CREST
  CREST

  noun

  an electronic share-settlement system, created by the Bank of England and owned by 69 firms, that began operations in 1996

crest

American  

[krest] / krɛst /

noun

crests plural

1. the highest part of a hill or mountain range; summit.

2. the head or top of anything.

3. a ridge or ridgelike formation.

4. the foamy top of a wave.

5. the point of highest flood, as of a river.

6. the highest point or level; climax; culmination.

7. a tuft or other natural growth on the top of the head of an animal, as the comb of a rooster.

8. anything resembling or suggesting such a tuft.

9. the ridge of the neck of a horse, dog, etc.

10. the mane growing from this ridge.

11. an ornament or heraldic device surmounting a helmet.

12. a helmet.

13. a ridge running from front to back along the top of a helmet; comb.

14. Heraldry. a figure borne above the escutcheon in an achievement of arms, either on a helmet or by itself as a distinguishing device.

15. Anatomy. a ridge, especially on a bone.

16. a ridge or other prominence on any part of the body of an animal.

17. Architecture. a cresting.

18. Machinery. (in a screw or other threaded object) the ridge or surface farthest from the body of the object and defined by the flanks of the thread.

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verb (used with object)

crests, present (3rd person singular) crested, past participle, past cresting present participle

1. to furnish with a crest.

2. to serve as a crest for; crown or top.

3. to reach the crest or summit of (a hill, mountain, etc.).

verb (used without object)

crests, present (3rd person singular) crested, past participle, past cresting present participle

1. to form or rise to a crest, as a wave or river.

2. to reach the crest or highest level.

   Interest in the project has crested.

crest ¹ British  

/ krɛst /

noun

1. a tuft or growth of feathers, fur, or skin along the top of the heads of some birds, reptiles, and other animals

2. something resembling or suggesting this

3. the top, highest point, or highest stage of something

4. a ridge on the neck of a horse, dog, lion, etc

5. the mane or hair growing from this ridge

6. an ornamental piece, such as a plume, on top of a helmet

7. heraldry a symbol of a family or office, usually representing a beast or bird, borne in addition to a coat of arms and used in medieval times to decorate the helmet

8. a ridge along the top of a roof, wall, etc

9. a ridge along the surface of a bone

10. Also called: cresting.  archery identifying rings painted around an arrow shaft

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verb

1. (intr) to come or rise to a high point

2. (tr) to lie at the top of; cap

3. (tr) to go to or reach the top of (a hill, wave, etc)

CREST ² British  

/ krɛst /

noun

1. an electronic share-settlement system, created by the Bank of England and owned by 69 firms, that began operations in 1996

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crest Scientific  

/ krĕst /

1. The part of a wave with greatest magnitude; the highest part of a wave.

2. Compare trough See more at wave

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subcrest
  noun
• undercrest
  noun
• crested
  adjective
• crestless
  adjective
• uncrested
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• crests
  plural

Participles

• cresting
  present
• crested
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• crest
  simple
• crests
  simple
• have crested
  perfect
• has crested
  perfect
• am cresting
  progressive
• are cresting
  progressive
• is cresting
  progressive
• have been cresting
  perfect progressive
• has been cresting
  perfect progressive

Past

• crested
  simple
• had crested
  perfect
• was cresting
  progressive
• were cresting
  progressive
• had been cresting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will crest
  simple
• will have crested
  perfect
• will be cresting
  progressive
• will have been cresting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of crest

1275–1325; Middle English creste < Old French < Latin crista

Explanation

A crest is a showy tuft of feathers on the head of a bird. It's easy to identify a male cardinal by its bright red color and the tufted crest on its head. The Latin word crista, which crest comes from, means "tuft or comb." An animal's crest can be feathers, fur, skin, or a comb like a rooster's. Something that resembles such a feature can also be called a crest, such as a plume on an old-fashioned helmet. The top or highest part of something is also a crest, like the crest of a hill or the crest of a wave. As a verb, crest means "to reach the top" like when you crest a mountain.

Example Sentences

Police are appealing for information and have urged anyone who has CCTV, doorbell or dash cam footage which covers The Crest between 00:01 on Saturday and 15:00 on Sunday to get in touch.

From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026

Many of P&G’s most disruptive innovations, including Crest Whitestrips and Zevo insect traps, came out of its sprawling R&D campus in Mason, Ohio, not far from company headquarters in Cincinnati.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

By the time it reaches the Pacific Crest Trail crossing 12 miles east of Julian, travelers have already descended nearly 2,000 feet.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

The estate sits on a plum 5.2-acre lot in the Beverly Crest community.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

That moment will begin when I walk across that stage today, diploma in hand, ready to start my new life at Crest Lake surrounded by meadows of sunflowers and rhythms of peace.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Related Words

• height
• peak
• ridge