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
Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Hiring and investment crest and fall into a contraction as consumer confidence wanes and spending craters.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
There are separate tattoos inspired by the couple’s three young boys — a peaceful dove for Calem, an abstract flame for Edan, and a crest with a shield and swords for Amory.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
Traditional soccer scarves are being held in the air, with fans hoisting the team’s crest in front of them.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
Cooper’s body was interred at St. Thomas Cemetery in Ann Arbor, at the crest of a hill overlooking his beloved University of Michigan, near the railroad tracks.
—Michael Jackman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024
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
The Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2024
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
Noun
The river rose to a crest of 51.3 feet on Tuesday morning and is expected to drop to 35.3 feet by 8 a.m. Monday.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 18 Apr. 2024
Hiring and investment crest and fall into a contraction as consumer confidence wanes and spending craters.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
There are separate tattoos inspired by the couple’s three young boys — a peaceful dove for Calem, an abstract flame for Edan, and a crest with a shield and swords for Amory.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024
Traditional soccer scarves are being held in the air, with fans hoisting the team’s crest in front of them.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2024
Cooper’s body was interred at St. Thomas Cemetery in Ann Arbor, at the crest of a hill overlooking his beloved University of Michigan, near the railroad tracks.
—Michael Jackman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024
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
Verb
The forecast predicts the river will crest at 52.3 feet early Monday morning and fall below flood stage Monday evening.
—The Enquirer, 6 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near crest
Cite this Entry
“Crest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crest. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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