syncopate
verb
syn·co·pate
ˈsiŋ-kə-ˌpāt 
ˈsin-
syncopated; syncopating
1
a
: to shorten or produce by syncope
syncopate suppose to s'pose
b
: to cut short : clip, abbreviate
2
: to modify or affect (musical rhythm) by syncopation
Examples of syncopate in a Sentence
she tried to syncopate her gasp of shock
Recent Examples on the Web
The polyphony of proxy groups could now harmonize and syncopate so that the United States and its allies would always be offbeat.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The lyrics are funeral; the beat is heavily syncopated, recalling the pitch and roll of a great ship in heavy water.
—Ken Fireman, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2023
There’s a lot that’s syncopated but very little that’s wild in either of his operas.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023
Her approach isn’t lacking for lyrical ferocity, but there are moments where her words are as melded to the melody as a body floating in the ocean, the undulating current syncopated to a slow, steady flow of air into lungs.
—Vulture, 14 Feb. 2023
Parks coos the melodies over low-slung hip-hop beats and guitars that can tangle like indie-rock or syncopate like funk.
—Star Tribune, 4 Feb. 2021
Not many, but enough to start infecting celebrations with doubt, to break up the exact time, the exact place, to syncopate something that used to be whole.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2019
Clangorous yet syncopated, spliced with rock, hip-hop, and urban sound effects, the music matched the franticness of the modern world.
—Kenneth Partridge, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2019
Every rambling anecdote has been dropped, every hand gesture has been syncopated with the rhetoric and every laugh line has been blessed with the right emphasis.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 11 June 2019
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Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
The lyrics are funeral; the beat is heavily syncopated, recalling the pitch and roll of a great ship in heavy water.
—Ken Fireman, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2023
There’s a lot that’s syncopated but very little that’s wild in either of his operas.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023
Her approach isn’t lacking for lyrical ferocity, but there are moments where her words are as melded to the melody as a body floating in the ocean, the undulating current syncopated to a slow, steady flow of air into lungs.
—Vulture, 14 Feb. 2023
Parks coos the melodies over low-slung hip-hop beats and guitars that can tangle like indie-rock or syncopate like funk.
—Star Tribune, 4 Feb. 2021
Not many, but enough to start infecting celebrations with doubt, to break up the exact time, the exact place, to syncopate something that used to be whole.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2019
Clangorous yet syncopated, spliced with rock, hip-hop, and urban sound effects, the music matched the franticness of the modern world.
—Kenneth Partridge, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2019
Every rambling anecdote has been dropped, every hand gesture has been syncopated with the rhetoric and every laugh line has been blessed with the right emphasis.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 11 June 2019
Cite this Entry
“Syncopate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syncopate. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
syncopate
verb
syn·co·pate
ˈsiŋ-kə-ˌpāt
ˈsin-
syncopated; syncopating
1
: to cut short : clip, abbreviate
2
: to change or affect (musical rhythm) by syncopation
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