Thesaurus results for DISCANT

descant 1 of 2

verb

ˈdes-ˌkant

Definition of descant

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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as in to chant

to produce musical sounds with the voice the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line

Synonyms & Similar Words

descant

2 of 2

noun

variants also discant

as in chorus

Related Words

as in observation

Related Words

Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of descant

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descant

Verb

There was an emotional embrace between Javits's father and students at the school who spoke about their late friend, and gave a message to his killers.

— CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
Next week, Jason speaks with 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post White House bureau chief Isaac Arnsdorf, about the blue tsunami in the 2026 midterms.

— Press Freedom Desk, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of speak

Verb

Music blared out as the crowd, dominated by left-wing groups, sang and chanted slogans against the government and the far-right.

— Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2026
After Pan announced that Kiley had called him to concede, the attendees at his election night event at Frends Brewhouse erupted into joyful screams, applause and eventually chanted his name.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of chant

Noun

The speaker was capable of producing some pretty deep bass and hit all the bass notes that play throughout much of the verse and chorus, except for the very lowest note.

— Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 7 Nov. 2026
Shimmy helms chorus duties before passing the baton to Future, who shades a woman he’s done with.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of chorus

Noun

Northwestern University Researchers hope FLIP will lead to more discoveries of planets that have been hiding in existing observations.

— Adam Harrington, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Another rescue attempt As Swift’s fate was sealed, mission scientists slowly turned the telescope’s instruments back on to collect data and observations right up until the end.

— Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of observation

Verb

This is how a senior diplomat can lecture British bureaucrats about North Korea’s victimhood one day and then flee North Korea with his entire family a few weeks later.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
At a time when everyone is asking where men fit in, this film doesn’t lecture.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of lecture

Verb

The win was the 200th for coach Guy Gardner, the Sea Kings’ head coach since 2009, and afterward his players sang happy birthday to senior wide receiver and defensive back Kevin Owens — a testament to how close knit the team has grown.

— Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
This video is a great option for kids who like to dance and sing along to classic kids’ songs.

— Parents, Parents, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of sing

Noun

Latin polyphony and motets are being sung at the Offertory and during the distribution of Holy Communion.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 June 2025
Her husband, my grandfather, was not only a composer who wrote liturgical music, motets, symphonies, and string quartets but also a beloved music teacher who believed that music was as crucial to the development of the mind as math.

— Stephanie H. Murray, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024

Definition of motet

Noun

Those remarks were intended as a brief and formal follow-up to Everett’s two-hour oration dedicating the opening of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg.

— Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Nov. 2026
The Hunger Games star’s remark stunned the comedian, leading to a number of memes and a wave of virality, so much so that Wood collaborated with Smoothie King.

— McKinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026