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
Noun
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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Swift covered a variety of topics while speaking with Colbert, from her Kansas City Chiefs star fiancé Travis Kelce being the love of her life to getting her masters back.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
-
That summer, Mbappe turned down the chance to join Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, despite PSG giving him permission to speak to them following a €300m bid in July 2023.—
Tom Burrows,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The Saudis led as Abdulelah Al-Amri cashed the game’s first goal in the 41st minute as flag-waving Saudi fans chanted to a drumbeat.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
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Supporters crossed the street chanting songs associated with the Algerian national team while passing motorists responded with honking horns and waves.—
J.M. Banks
June 15,
Kansas City Star,
16 June 2026
Noun
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Fried’s statement to the Herald comes amid warnings from a growing chorus of political leaders that Wasserman Schultz’s decision — and the state party’s silence about it — could have ripple effects across the ballot in November.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
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This polyphonic novel already has a chorus, thanks to its humdinger cast of ensemble characters.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
What unites them is a focus on intervention rather than observation.—
Dasha Shunina,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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The observations revealed that CRISTAL-02 is forming stars at roughly twice the rate of similar galaxies from the same era.—
Samantha Mathewson,
Space.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
College professors spend less time lecturing than a typical sportswriter creating fake controversies to criticize.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
-
If and until that day comes, there will be fingerpointing, lecturing and posturing, all of which has flowed freely in the wake of the Sorsby decision.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Recorded throughout the book tour for On Morrison—Serpell’s electrifying, critical examination of Morrison’s writing—each episode welcomes listeners into rooms full of readers and discussions of how Morrison made her words sing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Women sang, debated and pitched business ideas ranging from poultry farming to detergent-making.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
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
-
Jimmy Kimmel Live was temporarily suspended by ABC and its parent company Disney after host Jimmy Kimmel made remarks about Kirk on air.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
11 Dec. 2025
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The run-in near Japan’s Okinawa islands comes after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi set off a dispute with Beijing last month with her remarks on how Tokyo might react to a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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