1
a
: 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)
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
3
a
: a high point of an action or process and especially of one that is rhythmic
b
: climax, culmination
at the crest of his fame
crested; cresting; crests
1
: to furnish with a crest
also
: crown
2
: to reach the crest of
crested the hill and looked around
: to rise to a crest
waves cresting in the storm
Synonyms
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 for best picture
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
Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The river is expected to rise above flood stage late Wednesday morning to a crest of 18.8 feet Thursdaymorning.
—Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
At a crest in the road stood a breadfruit tree, full of basketball-size, lime-green fruits, knobbled and prehistoric, like a dinosaur egg covered in ostrich leather.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Current flows at Ozark are near 85,000, with a crest greater than 90,000 cubic feet per second expected over the next few days, the release said.
—The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024
In Mono County, where Mammoth Mountain is located, there could be 3 to 6 feet of snow along the Sierra crest, 1 to 3 feet of snow along the communities along Highway 395, the main route between Mammoth and Southern California.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
He was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement, testimony before Congress and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball point guard Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.
—Ken Sweet and Larry Neumeister, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
As the National Women’s Soccer League enters its 12th season, all 14 teams have a new primary and secondary kit for the first time with vibrant color schemes and meanings to complement the history behind each club’s crest.
—Jackie Gutierrez, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The most recent significant crest on the Ohio River was at just below 65 feet on March 5, 1997.
—The Enquirer, 1 Feb. 2024
Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
The answer is nine, including four who crested the $50 million annual mark: Joe Burrow (Bengals, $55 million), Justin Herbert (Chargers, $52.5 million), Lamar Jackson (Ravens, $52 million) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles, $51 million), according to OverTheCap.com.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Steam rises after a recent downpour and morning sunlight glances off cresting waves silver-threaded with the shoals of sardinella that ride their swell.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
That wave had already crested and risen again when the Get Up Kids released their beloved 1999 sophomore LP, Something To Write Home About, which helped establish Vagrant Records as the haven for emo up-and-comers such as Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 17 Mar. 2024
By the late 1990s, Clay County began to fall into economic decline after several major factories shuttered and the first wave of the opioid epidemic crested through the region.
—Hannah Rappleye, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
Since 2000, the river has crested above flood stage twice - at 54.42 feet on Feb 2, 2020, and at 56.86 feet on March 4, 2021.
—Cheryl Vari, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2024
That is because the tall chain-link fence – crested with coils of razor wire – that encircles this collective community where she was born is just 1 mile from the impoverished and densely packed Gaza Strip.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
Michael Dell’s fortune crested the $100 billion mark for the first time on Friday after Dell Technologies Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings showed a tangible boost from demand for equipment assisting artificial intelligence.
—Vernal Galpotthawela, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
The view from the crest of the hill will take your breath away — or was that just the steep climb to the top?
—Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 Apr. 2024
The river is expected to rise above flood stage late Wednesday morning to a crest of 18.8 feet Thursdaymorning.
—Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 3 Apr. 2024
At a crest in the road stood a breadfruit tree, full of basketball-size, lime-green fruits, knobbled and prehistoric, like a dinosaur egg covered in ostrich leather.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Current flows at Ozark are near 85,000, with a crest greater than 90,000 cubic feet per second expected over the next few days, the release said.
—The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024
In Mono County, where Mammoth Mountain is located, there could be 3 to 6 feet of snow along the Sierra crest, 1 to 3 feet of snow along the communities along Highway 395, the main route between Mammoth and Southern California.
—Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
He was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement, testimony before Congress and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball point guard Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.
—Ken Sweet and Larry Neumeister, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024
As the National Women’s Soccer League enters its 12th season, all 14 teams have a new primary and secondary kit for the first time with vibrant color schemes and meanings to complement the history behind each club’s crest.
—Jackie Gutierrez, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The most recent significant crest on the Ohio River was at just below 65 feet on March 5, 1997.
—The Enquirer, 1 Feb. 2024
Verb
The Loftin residence sits near the bottom of a hill that crests off the subdivision’s main thoroughfare.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
The answer is nine, including four who crested the $50 million annual mark: Joe Burrow (Bengals, $55 million), Justin Herbert (Chargers, $52.5 million), Lamar Jackson (Ravens, $52 million) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles, $51 million), according to OverTheCap.com.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024
Steam rises after a recent downpour and morning sunlight glances off cresting waves silver-threaded with the shoals of sardinella that ride their swell.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
That wave had already crested and risen again when the Get Up Kids released their beloved 1999 sophomore LP, Something To Write Home About, which helped establish Vagrant Records as the haven for emo up-and-comers such as Dashboard Confessional and Saves the Day.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 17 Mar. 2024
By the late 1990s, Clay County began to fall into economic decline after several major factories shuttered and the first wave of the opioid epidemic crested through the region.
—Hannah Rappleye, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
Since 2000, the river has crested above flood stage twice - at 54.42 feet on Feb 2, 2020, and at 56.86 feet on March 4, 2021.
—Cheryl Vari, The Enquirer, 26 Jan. 2024
That is because the tall chain-link fence – crested with coils of razor wire – that encircles this collective community where she was born is just 1 mile from the impoverished and densely packed Gaza Strip.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
Michael Dell’s fortune crested the $100 billion mark for the first time on Friday after Dell Technologies Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings showed a tangible boost from demand for equipment assisting artificial intelligence.
—Vernal Galpotthawela, Fortune, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crest.' 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 and Verb
Middle English creste, from Anglo-French, from Latin crista; probably akin to Latin crinis hair
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of crest was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing crest
Dictionary Entries Near crest
Cite this Entry
“Crest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crest. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
crest
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a showy growth (as of flesh or feathers) on the head of an animal
b
: an emblem or design on a helmet (as of a knight) or over a coat of arms
2
: an upper part, edge, or limit
the crest of a hill
the crest of a wave
crested
adjective
ˈkres-təd
crest
2 of 2 verb1
: to give a crest to
2
: to reach the crest of
crest the hill
3
: to rise to a crest
sea waves cresting
Medical Definition
crest
noun1
: a showy tuft or process on the head of an animal and especially a bird
2
: a process or prominence on a part of an animal body: as
a
: the upper curve or ridge of the neck of a quadruped (as a horse)
also
: the mane borne on such a crest
b
: a ridge especially on a bone
the crest of the tibia
see frontal crest, occipital crest
More from Merriam-Webster on crest
Nglish: Translation of crest for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of crest for Arabic Speakers
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