presto

interjection

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pres·to | \ ˈpre-(ˌ)stō

Definition of presto

(Entry 1 of 3)

—used to indicate the sudden appearance or occurrence of something often as if by magic

presto

adverb or adjective

Definition of presto (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : suddenly as if by magic : immediately

2 : at a rapid tempo —used as a direction in music

presto

noun

plural prestos

Definition of presto (Entry 3 of 3)

: a presto musical passage or movement

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More About presto

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Synonyms & Antonyms for presto

Synonyms: Adverb or adjective

Antonyms: Adverb or adjective

slow,
slowly

Examples of presto in a Sentence

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 Two patties are way too much for me, but a server recently revealed a valuable secret: Order a cheeseburger with lettuce and special sauce, and — presto! — a single version of the hour-wait-worthy burger. — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2019 To the uninitiated, this process may appear a bit like magic—a wave of the hands, a tap of a touch screen and, presto, a rabbit is pulled from a quantum hat. — Neil Savage, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2019 Someone gets infected, someone gets bitten and presto! — Chuck Yarborough, cleveland, 17 Oct. 2019 Just pop a K-Cup in, add some water, press the button and presto, coffee! — Alicia Kortendick, oregonlive, 25 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Attach a retractable net to your dining room table, and presto: table tennis! — Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2020 Courtly grace rubbed elbows with earthy peasant humor, and the concluding presto was alive with the ebullience Haydn dished out like no other composer. — John Von Rhein, chicagotribune.com, 2 June 2017

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