SYNCOPATE Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

syncopate

verb

ˈsiŋ-kə-ˌpāt

Definition of syncopate

as in to shorten

to make less in extent or duration she tried to syncopate her gasp of shock

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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 syncopate Inky skies and tall, wan grasses color a world where the outsides match the insides of people, emotional weather syncopated to the actual climate and flora. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026 The polyphony of proxy groups could now harmonize and syncopate so that the United States and its allies would always be offbeat. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025 The lyrics are funeral; the beat is heavily syncopated, recalling the pitch and roll of a great ship in heavy water. — Ken Fireman, Detroit Free Press, 2 May 2023 There’s a lot that’s syncopated but very little that’s wild in either of his operas. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2023 Her approach isn’t lacking for lyrical ferocity, but there are moments where her words are as melded to the melody as a body floating in the ocean, the undulating current syncopated to a slow, steady flow of air into lungs. — Vulture, 14 Feb. 2023 Parks coos the melodies over low-slung hip-hop beats and guitars that can tangle like indie-rock or syncopate like funk. — Star Tribune, 4 Feb. 2021 Not many, but enough to start infecting celebrations with doubt, to break up the exact time, the exact place, to syncopate something that used to be whole. — Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2019 Clangorous yet syncopated, spliced with rock, hip-hop, and urban sound effects, the music matched the franticness of the modern world. — Kenneth Partridge, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for syncopate

shorten

Verb

Their average life span is about 8,000 hours, but turning them on and off frequently shortens this time frame.

— Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2026
Operationally, Geraghty is prioritizing domestic production to shorten lead times.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shorten

Browse Nearby Words

synchrony

syncopate

syncopated

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“Syncopate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/syncopate. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of syncopate

verb

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