crescendo

noun cre·scen·do \ krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Examples: crescendo in a Sentence

Definition of crescendo

plural crescendos also crescendoes or crescendi play \krə-ˈshen-dē\

1 a : a gradual increase

a crescendo of excitement

; specifically : a gradual increase in volume of a musical passage

b : the peak of a gradual increase : climax

… complaints about stifling smog conditions reach a crescendo …
—Down Beat

2 : a crescendo musical passage

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crescendo

intransitive verb

See crescendo defined for English-language learners

See crescendo defined for kids

Examples of crescendo in a Sentence

The noise rose to a crescendo.
their divorce was merely the formal crescendo of a long period of marital stress and estrangement

Recent Examples of crescendo from the Web

His music is as magnetic as his stage presence, swelling to 60-foot crescendos courtesy of his large and massively talented band.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Miss Day 1 of Forecastle? No worries, here are 5 things you missed!," 14 July 2018
At the last crescendo when the phenom had given his best performance, the audience was applauding as the young man stared at the old man in the balcony.

— loren a. yadon, idahostatesman, "Leaving the ‘stage of life’ to the applause of heaven," 12 July 2018
Those are the biggest, brightest, and loudest fireworks, perfectly timed to coincide with crescendos and climaxes.

— marc daalder, Detroit Free Press, "Ford Fireworks: Where, when, and how to watch Detroit's 2018 display," 21 June 2018
Part of the piece’s success lay in the use of dynamics – not just shifts in the ensemble’s volume, but in graceful, meaningful crescendos and diminuendos that pulled the audience.

— elaine schmidt, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Well-crafted concert gets Milwaukee Symphony audience up and cheering," 27 Apr. 2018
What happened was a crescendo of conservative criticism of Obama.

— william cummings, USA TODAY, "The Bubble: How would conservatives have reacted to Obama meeting with Kim, liberals ask," 14 June 2018
And now today, as something of a climax to cap this crescendo, the company has announced it’s spinning off its health care unit and giving up its stake in the oil services company Baker Hughes.

— hallie detrick, Fortune, "After Months of Selling Off Many of Its Businesses, What's Left of General Electric?," 26 June 2018
This happened at the same time the presidential election was reaching a crescendo and there were increasing concerns at the FBI that there might be leaks of information to the press about the Weiner laptop that would damage the FBI’s credibility.

— warren richey, The Christian Science Monitor, "Inspector general on Comey: dissecting an error in judgment," 15 June 2018
The flat flooring of the Musikverein and space under the chairs also allow the audience to hear low frequencies that enliven big crescendos. 5.

— jonathon keats, Discover Magazine, "Science of Music," 15 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crescendo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of crescendo

Origin and Etymology of crescendo

Italian, from crescendo, adjective, increasing, gerund of crescere to grow, increase, from Latin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1775

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

crescendo Synonyms

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

crescendo

adverb or adjective

Definition of crescendo

: with an increase in volume —used as a direction in music

Origin and Etymology of crescendo

see ¹crescendo

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1807

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, refrain, riff, segue

CRESCENDO Defined for English Language Learners

crescendo

noun

Definition of crescendo for English Language Learners

: a gradual increase in the loudness of a sound or section of music
: the highest or loudest point of something that increases gradually

CRESCENDO Defined for Kids

crescendo

noun cre·scen·do \ kri-ˈshen-dō \

Definition of crescendo for Students

plural crescendos

: a gradual increase in the loudness of music

Word Root of crescendo

The Latin word crēscere, meaning “to grow,” gives us the root cresc or cre. Words from the Latin crēscere have something to do with growing. To increase is to grow greater in size or amount. To decrease is to grow smaller in size or amount. A crescendo in music is when the volume slowly grows louder.