- present participle of crest.
cresting
Americannoun
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Architecture. a decorative coping, balustrade, etc., usually designed to give an interesting skyline.
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Furniture. ornamentation either carved or sawed in the top rail of a piece or else added to it.
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a system of ornamental ridges or flutes on a piece of plate armor.
noun
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an ornamental ridge along the top of a roof, wall, etc
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carpentry a shaped decorative toprail or horizontal carved ornament surmounting a chair, mirror, etc
Etymology
Origin of cresting
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.
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
Pelicans glided over the cresting waves, while a harbor seal watched the surfers for a bit before diving under the surface and disappearing from sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2025
In further clips, that small cloud gets darker and flames can later be seen cresting over the hilltop.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2025
They always flew along the wires of this place like a kettle of jeweled hawks, cresting over the rooftops of turreted houses and quaint shops all stuck together like assorted taffies.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
