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
Relevance
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
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
Jesse Green, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023
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
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
Birds provided an intermittent descant to the insect buzz and the drone of a distant tractor.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 2 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
This is a dark and defensive descant to a more substantial and necessary conversation about whiteness in America.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 July 2019
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
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
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
Birds provided an intermittent descant to the insect buzz and the drone of a distant tractor.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 2 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
This is a dark and defensive descant to a more substantial and necessary conversation about whiteness in America.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 July 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for descant
Verb
-
Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian spoke earlier that day in Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame about their recruiting philosophies in the age of player revenue sharing and schools allocating a big chunk of that $20.5 million to football.—
Marc Weiszer,
The Tennessean,
22 July 2025
-
Journalists also became less able to speak truth to power through a number of trends, some involving liability.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
-
Around her, where NBA chants once echoed, beach volleyball fans cheered.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
-
On the ground, chanting protesters called for an oil embargo and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – echoing a threat made by Tehran during its 12-day war with Israel last month.—
Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
The chorus had several directors over the decades, and was rebranded as the Fox Valley Festival Chorus in 1980.—
Tom Strong,
Chicago Tribune,
13 July 2025
-
Swift then jumps up and down with her arms in the air as the song leads into the chorus and the pair continue to sing along.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
12 July 2025
Noun
-
Good data on the Earth's rotation goes back thousands of years, thanks to observations of solar eclipses in China.—
Nell Greenfieldboyce,
NPR,
22 July 2025
-
Capital One Financial’s Historical Odds of a Positive Post-Earnings Return Here are some observations regarding one-day (1D) post-earnings returns: Over the last five years, there are 20 earnings data points recorded, with 15 positive and 5 negative one-day (1D) returns noted.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Verb
-
Gavin could learn something to benefit Californians rather than lecturing Americans 3,000 miles away.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
-
Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.—
Lincoln Mitchell,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Electrified by the crowd of dedicated fans who sang nearly every lyric back to them, All Time Low found the answer to the question hanging over them.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
14 July 2025
-
Much to the delight of the crowd, Wonder sang his iconic hit Happy Birthday to his 13-year-old daughter Zaiah Morris, which prompted a mass singalong, creating a moment of pure joy in Hyde Park.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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
-
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
-
Kendall Washington, a finalist on season 6 of Love Island USA, was subjected to homophobic remarks online, after explicit videos of him were released without his consent.—
Taylor Crumpton,
Time,
13 July 2025
-
The executive director of the event, J. Casey Soward, issued a statement in the fallout, apologizing for his remarks.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
13 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Descant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descant. Accessed 26 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share