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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variants
also discant
1
as in chorus
Related Words
2
as in observation
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of descant
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
Verb
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
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Fewer than 40% of people calling the main Social Security Administration line are able to speak to a representative.—
Beth Finkel,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
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Kenyan President William Ruto, in a June letter to the council, spoke about the need for more and better equipment, and more funding and personnel.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Son Heung-min was substituted on 63 minutes, receiving a standing ovation and getting a guard of honor from the players on the pitch before hugging all the members of the Spurs bench as the crowd chanted his name.—
Steve Price,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
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Four of them were at home, where fans of the Liga MX teams turn out en masse, often chanting louder and reacting to plays more passionately than Rapids fans in attendance.—
Braidon Nourse,
Denver Post,
1 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Horan, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve white shirt made his way to the stage holding an acoustic guitar and gave Mendes a big hug as the duo broke into song together, crooning the ballad’s chorus together.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
18 Aug. 2025
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But even atop those peaks, the orchestra and chorus remained well-balanced, and the chorus’s diction impeccable.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Cold Atom Lab — Yui, working inside NASA's Destiny Laboratory, swapped out computer components for this apparatus which lowers atoms below the mean temperature of the universe, enabling the observation of atomic wave functions and quantum characteristics that cannot be reproduced on the ground.—
Robert Z. Pearlman,
Space.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Pritzker responded to Colbert’s observation by joking that Illinois Democrats had asked kindergarten students to draw the map.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Two hours later, she was heard lecturing the children.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
16 July 2025
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The single most on-the-nose sequence — though there are many — has an unrestrained Christopher Lloyd as a Holocaust survivor conveniently situated to lecture young Clay about the genocidal reality of his experience.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
15 July 2025
Verb
-
Let your packaging speak, sing, guide and gather insights.—
Anna Belova,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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As the guests make their way to the stage, the crew sings a catchy chant to hype the star up.—
Nicholas Kobe,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Latin polyphony and motets are being sung at the Offertory and during the distribution of Holy Communion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
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The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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With that in mind, investors will be focused on remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell at the end of the week at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium of global central bankers and finance chiefs.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
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The party’s members of Congress are largely avoiding in-person public forums like the one Rep. Mike Flood hosted in his Nebraska district earlier this month, only to go viral after constituent boos drowned out most of his remarks.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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