crest

[ krest ]

/ krɛst /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: crest / crested / cresting on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

the head or top of anything.

a ridge or ridgelike formation.

the foamy top of a wave.

the point of highest flood, as of a river.

the highest point or level; climax; culmination.

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

anything resembling or suggesting such a tuft.

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

the mane growing from this ridge.

an ornament or heraldic device surmounting a helmet.

a helmet.

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

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

Anatomy. a ridge, especially on a bone.

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

Architecture. a cresting.

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.Compare root¹ (def. 15a).

verb (used with object)

to furnish with a crest.

to serve as a crest for; crown or top.

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

verb (used without object)

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

to reach the crest or highest level: Interest in the project has crested.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crest

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

OTHER WORDS FROM crest

crested, adjectivecrestless, adjectivesubcrest, nounun·crest·ed, adjective

un·der·crest, noun

Words nearby crest

cress, Cressent, cresset, Cressida, Cressy, crest, cresta run, crest cloud, crested dog's-tail, crested tit, crested wheatgrass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use crest in a sentence

You can summit crests like 10,064-foot Mount San Antonio and 8,985-foot Telegraph Peak right out the gates of Mount Baldy Resort in the San Gabriel Mountains.
15 Ways to Play in the Snow This Year|Megan Michelson|November 26, 2020|Outside Online
Pernigotti suffered only a ruptured Achilles tendon and, with his partner’s help, made it to the crest, where a helicopter came to his rescue.
How Climate Change Is Making the Alps More Dangerous|Agostino Petroni|October 23, 2020|Outside Online
The distance between each crest, or tip, of a wave is its wavelength.
Spotted: Milky Way’s giant gas bubbles in visible light|Emily Conover|July 16, 2020|Science News For Students
The 2020 Dodgers may represent a rare opportunity, the crest of a franchise’s talent-rich era.
The Dodgers’ Legacy May Depend On This Short Season|Robert O'Connell|July 13, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Wavelength is the distance from one point on a wave to an identical point on the next, such as from crest to crest or from trough to trough.
Explainer: Understanding waves and wavelengths|Jennifer Look|March 5, 2020|Science News For Students
To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.
Exclusive: The Making of Reese Witherspoon’s Golden Globe-Nominated ‘Wild’|Marlow Stern|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Plus, Procter & Gamble has already removed triclosan from its Crest toothpaste.
Antibacterial Soap’s Deadly Secret|Kent Sepkowitz|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Tea Party wave, which would crest a few months later, still seemed far out to shore.
Michael Grimm’s Unhappily Ever After|David Freedlander|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Internal Revenue has its own crest or coat of arms or something.
Up to a Point: I Do My Own Taxes With No Help, Except From a Couple of Bloody Marys|P. J. O’Rourke|April 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Procter & Gamble introducing Crest toothpaste line with nontraditional flavors—chocolate, vanilla, lime.
Up to a Point: P.J. O’Rourke on Valentine’s Day and Oral Hygiene|P. J. O’Rourke|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at the instant I caught a sight of my counterfeit presentment in a shop window, and veiled my haughty crest.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
The crest-fallen astronomer plodded on his weary way, another example of a fool and his money soon parted.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
He swam with her upon the summit of the breaking Wave, lifted upon its crest, swept onward irresistibly.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
Still a-shiver at dawn, I saddled up and loped for the crest of the nearest divide to get the benefit of the first sun-rays.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
I rubbed in the spot indicated, and out came the crest and initials exactly as Jack had described them.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for crest (1 of 2)

crest

/ (krɛst) /

noun

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

something resembling or suggesting this

the top, highest point, or highest stage of something

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

the mane or hair growing from this ridge

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

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

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

a ridge along the surface of a bone

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

verb

(intr) to come or rise to a high point

(tr) to lie at the top of; cap

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

Derived forms of crest

crested, adjectivecrestless, adjective

Word Origin for crest

C14: from Old French creste, from Latin crista

British Dictionary definitions for crest (2 of 2)

CREST

/ (krɛst) /

noun

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

Word Origin for CREST

C20: from CrestCo, the name of the operating company

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

Scientific definitions for crest

crest

[ krĕst ]

The part of a wave with greatest magnitude; the highest part of a wave. Compare trough. See more at wave.

crest

Origin of crest

OTHER WORDS FROM crest

Words nearby crest

Words related to crest

How to use crest in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crest (1 of 2)

Derived forms of crest

Word Origin for crest

British Dictionary definitions for crest (2 of 2)

Word Origin for CREST

Scientific definitions for crest