Thesaurus results for DESCANT

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

But Netanyahu’s government wanted the existing framework kept intact, according to multiple sources who spoke to TIME, including an Israeli official and an international diplomat.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.

— HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of speak

Noun

Another chorus of thoughts and prayers Members of the Bend community gathered downtown in Drake Park on Thursday evening for a prayer vigil to support each other and grieve.

— Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Trump, however, has since changed his tune, amid a chorus of negative feedback.

— Chad de Guzman, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of chorus

Noun

The songs on Purdy also have the tone of journal entries, detailing haggard trips to the grocery store, daydreams about his young daughters’ glamorous adult lives, and observations about the banality of oppression.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Matt Schnaars, president of platform distribution and partnerships for NBCUniversal, reinforced Shapiro’s observations in a separate session.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of observation

Verb

The result is a synthetic rhythm section—a voice mimicking a synthesizer that mimics a bass guitar—that precedes a very human chorus from Please, who does not sing so much as plead, several octaves higher.

— Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 19 Oct. 2026
There is of course another way to hear ABBA songs sung live onstage, though sadly without Greek island backdrops or background singers wearing floppy swim fins.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 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

Many of the offensive and controversial remarks came in freewheeling replies to otherwise anodyne comments about current events, politics or games.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Trump opened his remarks there by describing how the new jet parked behind him was a gift from the Qatari royal family.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026