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

Artificial intelligence needs as little as three seconds of you speaking to produce a convincing clone of your voice.

— Muskaan Arshad, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Under Sorrells, morale at the office is bleak and has resulted in an exodus, according to two veteran prosecutors who left the office and spoke on the condition they not be identified.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of speak

Verb

Disgruntled United fans also chanted against Jason Wilcox, the club's director of football who was the target of recent criticism from defender Lisandro Martinez, and the Glazer family, the majority owners.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Protesters, including many youngsters, gathered peacefully and chanted in a southeastern part of the city amid heavy police presence.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of chant

Verb

At a time when everyone is asking where men fit in, this film doesn’t lecture.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
Respondents in England and Australia were more likely to associate teaching with institutional, credentialed and paid professional roles, such as nursing, lecturing and social work.

— Gustavo E. Fischman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of lecture

Verb

His closest competitor, Chris Brown, sang about navigating teenage love.

— Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
The song is a tale of a small town drying up as businessmen buy up all the land, and Supernaw — with his distinctive twang — sang it as a hard-luck ballad.

— Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 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

Friedman began her remarks by reminding the audience of von Furstenberg’s unlikely beginning, born in Brussels to a Holocaust survivor.

— Ariel Bielsky, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2026
The remarks struck at longstanding inequalities between Jews of European origin and Jews hailing from the Middle East, setting off a political and media firestorm.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026