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

Anyone speaking on camera under those circumstances, having given so much on the pitch, deserves a significant amount of leeway.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Meeting with Gulf leaders late last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken forcefully against Iran charging fees for transit through the strait.

— Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 13 July 2026

Definition of speak

Verb

Mourners chanted non-stop, with no sign of the ayatollah’s coffin more than an hour after the procession’s official start time.

— Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Through the risk of lightning, sticky humidity and a winding line filled with thousands of chanting fans, Argentine fans flooded Bayfront Park with a sea of blue jerseys.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026

Definition of chant

Noun

In a song, a chorus returns largely unchanged, accumulating emotional force through augmentation.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
The brooding, ambient track opens with a chorus of ghostly layered voices as O’Brien’s guitar breaks through a cloud ambient swirls and flourishes.

— Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 9 July 2026

Definition of chorus

Noun

According to Artem, the Russian position consisted of soldiers armed with small arms and radios and supported by a network of observation posts monitoring the surrounding approaches.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Accompanied by firsthand reflections from the photographers, these images offer a glimpse of how local communities gathered to share in the Cup, as well as the observations that stayed with the photographers who documented it.

— Meredith Nierman, NPR, 17 July 2026

Definition of observation

Verb

He was internationally known as an expert on the work of William Faulkner, teaching and lecturing around the world on the Nobel Prize winner.

— Rebecca McCarthy, AJC.com, 13 July 2026
Parsipur taught at Brown University in the early 2000s and lectured internationally throughout the ensuing decades.

— News Desk, Artforum, 13 July 2026

Definition of lecture

Verb

Knowing when to stand, when to sing and when to boo the visiting team is part of what makes a home game feel like home.

— Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Placing a special focus on R&B and new music discovery, Grice often weaves games into his variety show; a particularly viral bit asks guests to sing in a game of word association.

— Rachel Brodsky, Time, 14 July 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
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

Definition of motet

Noun

The remarks to foreign diplomats triggered an immediate reaction from Goldman Sachs, which replaced its call for an imminent 25-basis point hike with a decision to hold steady at next Thursday’s meeting.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Hawkish remarks from a Fed official also contributed to the move higher in bond yields and the pressure on stocks.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 13 July 2026