crescendo

1 of 2

noun

cre·​scen·​do krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō How to pronounce crescendo (audio)
plural crescendos also crescendoes or crescendi krə-ˈshen-dē How to pronounce crescendo (audio)
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 crescendoDown Beat
2
: a crescendo musical passage
crescendo intransitive verb

Illustration of crescendo

Illustration of crescendo
  • mark indicating crescendo 2

crescendo

2 of 2

adverb or adjective

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

Examples of crescendo in a Sentence

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
Driving the news: Hurricane Milton's threat to Florida is only the latest in a decades-long crescendo of extreme weather events intensified by the impact of a warming climate. Scott Rosenberg, Axios, 9 Oct. 2024 Wine glasses, coffee cups, pricey purses, phones, and so much more gleefully explode as composer David Buckley's expands and crescendos. Ew Staff, EW.com, 10 Sep. 2024 As Jelly Roll began to croon the crescendo of the song, Eminem retired to an armchair placed next to the slideshow, as if stewing in his private feelings in a makeshift living room. Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 12 Sep. 2024 There’s also enough power on tap - a whopping 160W in total, in fact - to help the sound stage cope better with big action movie crescendos and escalations, leading to less audio brittleness or fragility. John Archer, Forbes, 4 Sep. 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

Adverb or adjective

borrowed from Italian — more at crescendo entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1775, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adverb Or Adjective

1807, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crescendo was in 1775

Dictionary Entries Near crescendo

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

crescendo

noun
cre·​scen·​do
kri-ˈshen-dō
plural crescendos or crescendoes
1
: a gradual increase especially in the loudness of music
2
: the peak of a gradual increase
crescendo adverb or adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on crescendo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!