crest

noun

\ ˈkrest

Definition of crest

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a showy tuft or process on the head of an animal and especially a bird — see bird illustration

b : the plume or identifying emblem worn on a knight's helmet also : the top of a helmet

c(1) : a heraldic representation of the crest

(2) : a heraldic device depicted above the escutcheon (see escutcheon sense 1) but not upon a helmet

(3) : coat of arms sense 2a

d : a ridge or prominence on a part of an animal body

2 : something suggesting a crest especially in being an upper prominence, edge, or limit: such as

a : peak especially : the top line of a mountain or hill

b : the ridge of a roof

c : the top of a wave

3a : a high point of an action or process and especially of one that is rhythmic

b : climax, culmination at the crest of his fame

crest

verb

crested; cresting; crests

Definition of crest (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to furnish with a crest also : crown

2 : to reach the crest of crested the hill and looked around

intransitive verb

: to rise to a crest waves cresting in the storm

Other Words from crest Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about crest

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Examples of crest in a Sentence

Noun

at that point the filmmaker was at the crest of his critical acclaim, which included winning an Oscar the hiking party reached the crest of the mountain just as it began to thunder

Verb

We crested the hill and looked out around us.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

As England rode the crest of another World Cup wave in the summer of 1998 in France, the Three Lions would once more fall to the Damocles sword of the penalty shootout that year. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 5 Weeks to Go - Anatomy of a Goal: Michael Owen vs Argentina at France 1998," 20 May 2018 Upstream in Horry County, the floodwaters have invaded close to 1,000 homes near Conway as the Waccamaw River was slowly making its way to a crest a full 4 feet (1.2 meters) over its record level set just two years ago after Hurricane Matthew. — Jeffrey Collins, Fox News, "After the hurricane comes the deluge on South Carolina coast," 25 Sep. 2018 Hogwarts-goers in the ‘20s also carried leather satchels stamped with the school crest that need to appear in my closet immediately. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "Fantastic Beasts Costume Designer Says Hogwarts Robes Are Getting a MAJOR Upgrade in the New Movie," 23 Aug. 2018 From the East Bay: Take Highway 92 west over San Mateo Bridge, past I-280 to Crystal Springs and continue to the crest at Skyline and Highway 35. — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, "Sunday getaway to El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve," 20 May 2018 Festooned with collegiate pennants and wooden Oxbridge crests, Harry’s proved the perfect backdrop for Rowing Blazer’s irreverent Ivy League-meets-Brit-public-school collection, alongside an exclusive capsule of HNYB merchandise. — Alexander Howard, Vogue, "Rowing Blazers Fetes Its New Collection at Storied Parisian Cocktail Spot Harry’s New York Bar," 18 Jan. 2019 Etalon Group The watery print stretches from facade to facade, like a wave rippling in crests. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Behold, Hokusai’s famous wave print stretching across six buildings," 18 Dec. 2018 These two acts of dance theater build and crest in unusual and unexpected ways. — Robert Greskovic, WSJ, "New Works to Celebrate an Established Company," 12 Dec. 2018 The box featured a wax seal, a design detail which likely features the couple's wedding crest or monogram (similar to Nick and Priyanka's N&P touches throughout their wedding décor). — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas' Wedding Date and Location Has Just Been Revealed," 3 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Firefighters set blazes at the bottom of hills in order to burn up the tinder-dry brush before flames cresting the ridge tops could feed on it and surge downhill. — Marcio Jose Sanchez And Sudhin Thanawala, Fox News, "Northern California wildfire 9th most destructive in history," 31 July 2018 Part of the Cape Fear River is forecast to crest Saturday while the Waccamaw River at Conway, S.C., isn’t expected to crest until Tuesday or Wednesday next week , according to the National Weather Service. — Erin Ailworth, WSJ, "Moody’s Pegs Florence’s Economic Cost at $38 Billion to $50 Billion," 21 Sep. 2018 Firefighters set blazes at the bottom of hills in order to burn up the tinder-dry brush before flames cresting the ridge tops could feed on it and surge downhill. — Marcio Jose Sanchez And Sudhin Thanawala, Fox News, "Northern California wildfire 9th most destructive in history," 31 July 2018 Firefighters set blazes at the bottom of hills in order to burn up the tinder-dry brush before flames cresting the ridge tops could feed on it and surge downhill. — Marcio Jose Sanchez, The Seattle Times, "Twin wildfires threatening 10,000 California homes," 30 July 2018 After cresting those hills, reward yourself with lunch at the Kiltie Drive-In. — Travel Wisconsin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two days to explore Oconomowoc," 10 June 2018 But as subway delays crested over the past couple of years and riders channeled their frustration through social media, more politicians began warming to the idea. — Paul Berger, WSJ, "Unusual Alliance Leads Congestion-Pricing Movement," 21 Feb. 2019 Even before the river crested, photos from neighbors showed the Washingtons' house surrounded by water Monday, with the river still expected to rise several more feet. — Fox News, "'Up in the air': If displaced by storm, where to call home?," 19 Sep. 2018 River levels across northern Illinois have crested, and are to continue to recede. — Tom Skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Pleasant Monday belies impending storm threat," 25 June 2018

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