descants 1 of 2

Definition of descantsnext
present tense third-person singular of descant
1
as in lectures
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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2
as in chants
to produce musical sounds with the voice the world-famous soprano descanted above the melody line

Synonyms & Similar Words

descants

2 of 2

noun

variants also discants
plural of descant

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for descants
Verb
  • The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.
    Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Assistive listening studies report that bypassing room acoustics and delivering audio directly can improve signal‑to‑noise ratios by 15–20 dB, making announcements comprehensible and lectures clearer [8].
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As the crowd chants largely out of sight, heavy automatic gunfire can be heard for 15 uninterrupted seconds.
    Marin Scott, NBC news, 14 Jan. 2026
  • The Barmy Army chants restart as the England players partly walk over to applaud them.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Experiments and observations in laboratories, in our Solar System, and on galactic and cosmic scales all bear this out in great agreement with General Relativity’s predictions, lending further support to the theory.
    Big Think, Big Think, 24 Mar. 2026
  • In the nightmare scenario that kicks off Transcription, the disabling of the narrator’s phone—that ingenious receptacle for distraction, and discomfort, and crap—sets in motion a series of observations and reminiscences that prod the narrator’s unconscious, bringing the novel into being.
    Hannah Gold, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Wang — who speaks Italian at a B2, or upper intermediate level, and has four great-grandparents from Sicily — had already made an appointment to recognize her citizenship, so hoped she might be treated as a case in progress.
    Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2026
  • That these bones were assessed as potentially centuries old speaks to the level of deterioration observed by investigators.
    Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Farley sings from a similar vocal register as Isbell.
    Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 27 Mar. 2026
  • The group sings it really well, and our lead is really very good.
    Caché McClay, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The comments follow remarks from Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, who indicated the government could offer a lump-sum compensation package to American claimants.
    Ivan Taylor, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Luka Doncic Says Goga Bitadze Crossed a Line In a post-game press conference, Doncic said the exchange went beyond typical on-court trash talk and involved explicit remarks about his family.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Trump said in on Truth Social that any attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure will be paused until April 6 and that talks with Iran continue.
    Rebecca Shabad, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Williams still talks like a young player at the start of his career.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Presented by the Choral Consortium of San Diego, the festival on Saturday will feature 15 choruses from all over the region, including Baja California.
    Beth Wood, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
  • But, unlike James Murphy, Styles would never wait three minutes to drop drums for just two full choruses.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Descants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/descants. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.

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