descants 1 of 2

Definition of descantsnext
present tense third-person singular of descant
1
as in lectures
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 chants
to produce musical sounds with the voice the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line

Synonyms & Similar Words

descants

2 of 2

noun

variants also discants
plural of descant

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descants
Verb
  • Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Simon Maghakyan lectures on the 20th anniversary of the destruction of Djulfa in December 2025.
    Simon Maghakyan, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • As the crowd chants largely out of sight, heavy automatic gunfire can be heard for 15 uninterrupted seconds.
    Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The Barmy Army chants restart as the England players partly walk over to applaud them.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Take the time in spring to make some measurements and observations that will aid your garden come summer.
    David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Anthropogenic material, the observations show, has become woven into deep-sea ecosystems even in environments that might seem entirely beyond the reach of human activity.
    Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Atkinson plays the titular role, a clueless man who lives alone, rarely speaks, and struggles to exist as a functional adult in the world.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference Greg Sankey speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room on Friday, March 6, 2026.
    CBS News, CBS News, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Are Fanny and her mother related to Claire in some other way — Claire’s mother, Julia, sings the same song to her newborn son William, who could still be bopping around singing that song in the 18th century.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Once a favorite haunt of music legends, the hotel still sings today, attracting couples, musicians, and business travelers alike.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Tailfeathers, a Canadian actress and filmmaker, a week ago returned her movie award trophy from the Toronto film critics following the alleged censorship of her video acceptance speech, which included remarks in support of Palestine.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The actor's ecent remarks about ballet and opera have come under fire.
    Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Angelina is another person who talks a lot.
    Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
  • In this episode, Mitzi talks to Bret Anthony Johnston about his new story collection, Encounters with Unexpected Animals.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But, unlike James Murphy, Styles would never wait three minutes to drop drums for just two full choruses.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Strikes launched from flight clustered near loud choruses, while nearly all attacks from perches occurred in silence.
    Leonie Baier, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Descants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descants. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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