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cresting

American  
[kres-ting] / ˈkrɛs tɪŋ /

noun

  1. Architecture. a decorative coping, balustrade, etc., usually designed to give an interesting skyline.

  2. Furniture. ornamentation either carved or sawed in the top rail of a piece or else added to it.

  3. a system of ornamental ridges or flutes on a piece of plate armor.


cresting British  
/ ˈkrɛstɪŋ /

noun

  1. an ornamental ridge along the top of a roof, wall, etc

  2. carpentry a shaped decorative toprail or horizontal carved ornament surmounting a chair, mirror, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cresting

First recorded in 1865–70; crest + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Cresting the hill, our eyes were assaulted by colors that should not exist in nature.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2017

Cresting at nearly 11,000 feet amid the Beartooth Mountains, Beartooth Pass is among the most breathtaking and perilous stretches of road in the country.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2015

Cresting a pass in the hills, we see the two gers where Gaaj’s family lives in a valley, but nothing else.

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2014

Cresting will then occur southward along the cities of Bolivar, Greenville, Vicksburg and Natchez, according to emergency management officials.

From Reuters • Apr. 28, 2011

Cresting the top of Coalwood Mountain, we were faced with a steep, straight stretch followed by a series of curves that dipped and turned.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam