presto

1 of 3

interjection

pres·​to ˈpre-(ˌ)stō How to pronounce presto (audio)
used to indicate the sudden appearance or occurrence of something often as if by magic

presto

2 of 3

adverb or adjective

1
: suddenly as if by magic : immediately
2
: at a rapid tempo
used as a direction in music

presto

3 of 3

noun

plural prestos
: a presto musical passage or movement

Examples of presto in a Sentence

Adverb or adjective the hungry men dived into the food and, presto, it was gone
Recent Examples on the Web
Adverb or adjective
In second gear, his singing V-8 seems to jump tempo, allegro to presto. Patrick Bedard, Car and Driver, 29 May 2020 And, — presto! change-o! — Kiner-Falefa winds up as the third baseman. Dallas News, 9 Mar. 2020 Simply flash a smile at a little camera and—presto—you're in. Robert Hackett, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2019 Step 4: Return to the room that is, presto change-o, now a hall sufficiently decked with all of the festive Christmas decor. Ashley Hoffman, Time, 21 Nov. 2019 See all Example Sentences for presto 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'presto.' 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

Interjection

Italian, quick, quickly, from Latin praestus ready, from praesto adverb, on hand; akin to Latin prae before — more at for

First Known Use

Interjection

circa 1599, in the meaning defined above

Adverb Or Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1801, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of presto was circa 1599

Dictionary Entries Near presto

Cite this Entry

“Presto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presto. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

presto

adverb or adjective
pres·​to
ˈpres-tō
1
: suddenly as if by magic
a wave of the hand and, presto, it's gone
2
: at a rapid tempo
used as a direction in music

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