1
as in speaking
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
an English professor who loves to descant on his beloved Shakespeare
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in chanting
to produce musical sounds with the voice
the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descanting
Verb
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His body camera footage shows a man speaking with Jones as Jones, who is holding a large knife, is on the front stoop of a home.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
2 Mar. 2026 -
But reporting from the ground and speaking with multiple Oscar voters over the last week suggests a race unfolding in real time.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With Swampscott fans chanting in anticipation of victory, Fein took the inbounds pass, dribbled further away from the basket to avoid a double team, and launched a shot that hit nothing but net, prompting a wild on-court celebration for Norwell.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
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Some gather in Tehran’s metro stations to shelter from bombardment while chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That includes lecturing, building curriculum, pursuing research and speaking about university policy.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
18 Feb. 2026
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Katie da Cunha Lewin is a writer based in London, currently lecturing in 20th and 21st-century literature at Coventry University.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Senate GOP is not united on forcing Democrats to commit to a talking filibuster to pass the voter ID bill.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
2 Mar. 2026
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Verini sits in on Friedmann’s trial, and explores his possible motives, talking to his friends and family members.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Descanting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descanting. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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