Noun
The noise rose to a crescendo.
excitement in the auditorium slowly built up and reached its crescendo when the star walked on stage
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Even the players hear the noise, which is growing to a crescendo.—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2024 The tempest reached a crescendo with little drama other than splashing water.—David Sharp and Jennifer McDermott, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 2024 Shultz’s breakdown hit a very public crescendo at the beginning of 2023, when he was arrested on gun charges for bringing loaded firearms to his hotel in New York.—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 15 May 2024 These results fly in the face of years of concern over the potential harms of internet use, which hit a crescendo in recent weeks as President Biden signed legislation that could lead to a national TikTok ban.—Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for crescendo
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crescendo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
borrowed from Italian, noun derivative of crescendo "increasing," gerund of crescere "to increase, grow," going back to Latin crēscere "to come into existence, increase in size or numbers" — more at crescent entry 1
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