Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for "cresting"
  • present participle of crest.

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.

See Examples For:

A subtle wave of shame rises — small but persistent — cresting as you imagine your child saying, or your partner thinking, “We’re having this again?”

From Salon Jan. 31, 2026

New data-center designs are cresting one gigawatt in power consumption, the entire capacity of a nuclear reactor.

From Barron's Dec. 31, 2025

Given the cresting age wave, the number is expected to roughly double in the next 35 years.

From Los Angeles Times May 2, 2025

It was crowded with design touches perfectly synced to the ones cresting on my Instagram and Pinterest feeds.

From New York Times Feb. 4, 2024

They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting their helms, now dusty and forgotten.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training