Illustration of crescendo
- mark indicating crescendo 2
cre·scen·do
krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō 
plural crescendos also crescendoes or crescendi
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
Down Beat2
: a crescendo musical passage
crescendo
intransitive verb
crescendo
2 of 2adverb 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
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Opening day would reach its crescendo — as McBride alluded to — with the performance by Porter, who was opening the festival’s main arena stage for this 68th edition.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
Hype around MySpace reached such a crescendo that Rupert Murdoch purchased it in 2005 for $580 million.
—ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
The festival’s crescendo arrives on Saturday, September 27 with Southern Living’s Food & Fire, a sprawling walk-around tasting event at Sloss Furnaces.
—Rai Mincey, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
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Noun
From the action on the field to the crescendo of fans cheering, soccer has a reliable soundtrack to help athletes prepare for their moment.
—Jared Weiss, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Opening day would reach its crescendo — as McBride alluded to — with the performance by Porter, who was opening the festival’s main arena stage for this 68th edition.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2025
Hype around MySpace reached such a crescendo that Rupert Murdoch purchased it in 2005 for $580 million.
—ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
The festival’s crescendo arrives on Saturday, September 27 with Southern Living’s Food & Fire, a sprawling walk-around tasting event at Sloss Furnaces.
—Rai Mincey, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crescendo. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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