descant 1 of 2

1
as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject an English professor who loves to descant on his beloved Shakespeare

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to chant
to produce musical sounds with the voice the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line

Synonyms & Similar Words

descant

2 of 2

noun

variants also discant

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of descant
Noun
Bart, too idiosyncratic merely to copy the idiosyncrasies of the movie’s Christopher Lloyd, instead adds a descant of commentary atop them, sometimes seeming to extemporize a different show entirely. Jesse Green, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023 Then comes a longer descant of mixed-up work, including bad versions of pop tunes and ambitious attempts at pop epics. Adam Gopni, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2021 For seven decades, Katz has been providing a visual descant to the work of the New York School of poets, many of whom were his friends. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2022 Birds provided an intermittent descant to the insect buzz and the drone of a distant tractor. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2022 The Hynde storyline, which includes her messing around with songs on an acoustic guitar, runs as a kind of descant against the personal and professional noise of the Pistols. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022 This is a dark and defensive descant to a more substantial and necessary conversation about whiteness in America. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descant
Verb
  • Joined by Governor Josh Shapiro, Frye spoke at a press conference where the arrest was announced.
    Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Tisdale spoke with her hair colorist, who encouraged her to get in touch with a dermatologist who could provide more clarity about what was going on.
    Brian Mastroianni, Health, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • But soon the crowd was back to dancing, clapping and chanting.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Outside the courthouse, small groups of pro- and anti-Netanyahu demonstrators are chanting from opposite sides of a police barrier.
    NBC News, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The chords are the same in the verse and the chorus.
    Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
  • That lasting unity is reflected gorgeously in the song's chorus, as indie breakout MJ Lenderman joins Crutchfield over cozy banjo and guitars to deliver the richest harmonies of the year.
    EW.com, EW.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The team is collecting more observations and hopes to take real-time data from Mars someday and use it to make predictions, much like weather forecasters do on Earth.
    Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Pairing Electrons The case of Kamerlingh Onnes’ observations (and superconductivity seen in other extremely cold metals) was finally cracked in 1957.
    Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • We’re either lectured on the history of our own struggle, or appealed to with dire fearmongering and empty promises while our cries fall on deaf ears.
    Derrick Johnson, The Hill, 3 Dec. 2024
  • An increasingly jealous Seth Rollins lectured Sami Zayn about teaming with Roman Reigns after both of them worked so hard to end the Bloodline.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • If not, maybe stick to a regular screening, during which fans have been specifically asked not to sing along.
    Kathryn Varn, Axios, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Popular on Variety The hour plays like a transitory modern version of an old-school Christmas variety special, with each of the guests prompted to loudly sing along to classic holiday tracks as well as their own biggest hits.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Repetition with fidelity led, with the aid of print, to longer organized forms such as the motet, a vocal music composition, and the conductus, a Latin song with a rhythmic structure.
    Lynn Whidden, Scientific American, 26 July 2024
  • According to Francisco, the composers represented no less than 30 print collections of solo songs, cantatas, motets, polyphonic works, settings for psalms and masses, a magnificat, a vespers service, a dozen sonatas, and scores for nine operas and other staged works.
    Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
  • Since Shapiro’s remarks, prosecutors have filed murder charges against Mangione, an Ivy League graduate, after discovering a gun and writings seemingly connecting him to the New York City shooting.
    Filip Timotija, The Hill, 14 Dec. 2024
  • Trump sued the network earlier this year over remarks that This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos made during a contentious interview with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) in March.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near descant

Cite this Entry

“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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