1
as in to speak
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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variants
also discant
1
as in chorus
Related Words
2
as in observation
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of descant
Jesse Green, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023
For seven decades, Katz has been providing a visual descant to the work of the New York School of poets, many of whom were his friends.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2022
The Hynde storyline, which includes her messing around with songs on an acoustic guitar, runs as a kind of descant against the personal and professional noise of the Pistols.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022
Then comes a longer descant of mixed-up work, including bad versions of pop tunes and ambitious attempts at pop epics.
—Adam Gopni, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2021
Verb
Bart, too idiosyncratic merely to copy the idiosyncrasies of the movie’s Christopher Lloyd, instead adds a descant of commentary atop them, sometimes seeming to extemporize a different show entirely.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023
For seven decades, Katz has been providing a visual descant to the work of the New York School of poets, many of whom were his friends.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2022
The Hynde storyline, which includes her messing around with songs on an acoustic guitar, runs as a kind of descant against the personal and professional noise of the Pistols.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2022
Then comes a longer descant of mixed-up work, including bad versions of pop tunes and ambitious attempts at pop epics.
—Adam Gopni, The New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descant
Verb
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In addition to testimony about Tammy's physical health, Emma also spoke about her father's religious beliefs, saying that her mother shared them.—
Jessica Sager,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
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The company also spoke about NVLink Fusion, a rack-scale scale up fabric, shown in concept below.—
Thomas Coughlin,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fans have already been chanting Lee’s name at recent shows, and the potential for a mixed tag match pairing Punk and AJ against Rollins and Lynch provides WWE with a premium attraction that could anchor major events like the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The highlights of a stay here include the pre-dawn ritual of chanting from a wat (a Buddhist temple or monastery) or, in the evenings, browsing the high-energy night market.—
Jack Tydeman,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Andy’s part of the chorus is the best example, on the pedal.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
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Belgium announced its intention to recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday, joining a chorus of Western nations that have released similar statements as of late.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Previous modeling systems captured fire and smoke behavior, but gaps remained in data accuracy and field observations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Sep. 2025
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Colin Frank Wilson, Project Scientist for ESA's Mars orbiters, confirmed that the agency is preparing to attempt observations of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS during its passage through the solar system.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
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Faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Since the summer of unrest over the death of George Floyd, the NFL has allowed teams to have performers sing the song, known as the Black national anthem.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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Elvis sings and tells his story like never before.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Latin polyphony and motets are being sung at the Offertory and during the distribution of Holy Communion.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2025
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The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Doubling down During a Tuesday press conference, Pochettino doubled down on his remarks from Saturday.—
Michael Lewis,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Busta Rhymes champions late MTV VJ Ananda Lewis Busta kept his remarks short and heartfelt, thanking his family and also taking the time to honor Ananda Lewis, the former MTV VJ who died earlier this year after being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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