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
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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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While Blutinger was speaking, history professor Jonathan Roth attempted to take video of the protesters in the hallway and got into a physical altercation with a female student who tried to block him from doing so.
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The two spoke during a roundtable meeting in Thornton hosted by the America First Policy Institute.
Verb
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Even as a large number of fans at Miami Stadium chanted for Uruguay throughout Sunday's match, Cape Verdean players seemed undaunted.
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While there were no vuvuzelas, the plastic trumpets that put South Africa on the map during the 2010 World Cup, there was lots of chanting and cheering on site.
Noun
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Fundstrat Global Advisors' Tom Lee has joined a growing chorus of Wall Street bulls forecasting the S & P 500 will end the year at 8,000.
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The chorus rises into a falsetto that can carry urgency, comfort, and humor before a listener understands a single word.
Noun
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One of the more notable aspects of the announcement is American Fusion’s emphasis on third-party observation.
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All these and more measurements and observations are recorded.
Verb
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Some commentators in the United States have taken the opportunity to lecture Europeans, and perhaps even indulge in a little schadenfreude.
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The work, then, is not to lecture communities into trusting us.
Verb
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The rivalry is so intense that overnight in Mexico, fans played instruments, sang, and made as much noise as possible outside the Ecuador team hotel to deprive the squad of sleep.
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Members of the Orange Army danced, sang, marched and partied, saying their iconic celebrations were a way to bring joy to the World Cup, regardless of the outcome on the pitch.
Noun
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Latin polyphony and motets are being sung at the Offertory and during the distribution of Holy Communion.
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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.
Noun
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In remarks to his Assembly colleagues, Alvarez described the bill as a step toward reforming leadership of the state’s education system but teased forthcoming policymaking, with more input from teachers and other education groups.
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This incident adds to a long history of controversies, including founder Chip Wilson's past insensitive remarks, recurring quality issues with sheer yoga pants, false health claims, and a recent PFAS investigation.
Cite this Entry
“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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