as in pinnacle
the highest part or point
excitement in the auditorium slowly built up and reached its crescendo when the star walked on stage
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as in to peak
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Recent Examples of crescendo
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 June 2025
Jin’s crescendo of bitterness had reached its peak and found a white-hot fury.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 6 May 2025
Understandable, perhaps, given that games against Ipswich and Palace were the relatively bland fillers between their Champions League crescendos against Real Madrid (quarter-final) and Paris Saint-Germain (semi-final).
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Despite a stern warning from school authorities, a crescendo of boos were heard Wednesday at Columbia University's campus, as acting President Claire Shipman acknowledged the absence of their graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil during her commencement address.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Noun
The 2025 Minnesota state softball tournament will open with a similar feel to past editions, but end with more of a grand crescendo.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 2 June 2025
Jin’s crescendo of bitterness had reached its peak and found a white-hot fury.
—Lizz Schumer, People.com, 6 May 2025
Understandable, perhaps, given that games against Ipswich and Palace were the relatively bland fillers between their Champions League crescendos against Real Madrid (quarter-final) and Paris Saint-Germain (semi-final).
—Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2025
Despite a stern warning from school authorities, a crescendo of boos were heard Wednesday at Columbia University's campus, as acting President Claire Shipman acknowledged the absence of their graduate student and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil during her commencement address.
—Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crescendo
Noun
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As far back as a decade ago, when Villeneuve was on the promotion trail for Sicario, the Canadian said that action is art — and Bond is the very pinnacle of the genre.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
26 June 2025
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Whether your passion is for Oregon’s superlative Pinot noir or California’s world-class Bordeaux blends, these wines are truly at the pinnacle of American winemaking.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Verb
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The righty peaked at 95.2 mph in Wednesday’s first inning, a fastball sizzling by Lane Thomas for a strikeout.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
25 June 2025
-
The tune peaked at No. 58 on the Hot 100 just as the group was getting its start.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
Noun
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For such a humanist filmmaker, Boyle reached his zenith by pondering us at our lowest point.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
20 June 2025
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The band had reached its zenith, with Beatlemania-size crowds greeting them in Australia and Canada, and significant success cracking the American market.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
9 June 2025
Verb
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In the midst of a national recession, with inflation and unemployment cresting above 10 percent, the bill for a decade of wishful economics and willful mismanagement on the part of New York’s political establishment was inexorably coming due.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2025
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The national average crested above $2 per pound for fresh, whole chicken for the first time last year and hit a record high of $2.08 in November.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
Noun
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Harvard alleged the revocation was the culmination of a retaliatory campaign by the Trump administration on academic freedom at Harvard.—
Alexandra Koch , Bill Mears,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2025
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Washington said that was the culmination of a day in which Enright and the Angels were frustrated with Ortiz.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
19 June 2025
Noun
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The Midnight Madness People’s Choice Award goes on to shoot to the near top of Netflix’s chart of non-English film hits on record, now featuring as No. 5 with 82.8 million views.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 June 2025
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There’s something uniquely elegant about a sporty jacket with a stand collar or funnel neck zipped right to the top, with material slightly shrouding the chin.—
Alice Cary,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
Noun
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But one who does not consistently reach such heights is Alfred Caldwell.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 June 2025
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In 2022, Rotterdam’s historic De Hef bridge was temporarily dismantled to accommodate the yacht Before Bezos set sail on Koru, a historic bridge in the Netherlands needed to be temporarily altered to accommodate the yacht's height.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
-
Game 5s are the beginning of the climax in a close series.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
17 June 2025
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This is the literal last day of the shoot, which also unfortunately is the climax of Episode 10.—
William Earl,
Variety,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crescendo. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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