Illustration of crescendo
- mark indicating crescendo 2
cre·scen·do
krə-ˈshen-(ˌ)dō 
plural crescendos also crescendoes or crescendi
krə-ˈshen-dē
1
a
: a gradual increase
a crescendo of excitement
specifically
: a gradual increase in volume of a musical passage
b
: the peak of a gradual increase : climax
… complaints about stifling smog conditions reach a crescendo …—
Down Beat
Down Beat2
: a crescendo musical passage
crescendo
intransitive verb
crescendo
2 of 2adverb or adjective
: with an increase in volume
—used as a direction in music
Synonyms
Examples of crescendo in a Sentence
Noun
The noise rose to a crescendo.
excitement in the auditorium slowly built up and reached its crescendo when the star walked on stage
Recent Examples on the WebAnna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Upon his return, the lapses and failings would reach a crescendo on the morning and afternoon of Jan. 6, 2023, when the boy brought his mother’s gun to school.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Just as an orchestra's crescendo expands to captivate audiences, Distribution enriches the symphony of tec5USA's offerings, allowing a wider audience to benefit from the company's technological prowess.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The crescendo to Clark’s college career could come in the form of a national title.
—Alex Leeds Matthews and Ben Morse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Those warnings reached a crescendo Monday with the release of new report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global multi-stakeholder initiative working on food security and nutrition analysis.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
The book builds to a booming crescendo and then crashes into a quiet, unexpected but anticlimactic conclusion.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Then, just as the speculation was reaching a crescendo, came the photo.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024
Or, book a post-surf stretch massage in an oceanside cabana so hearing the crescendo of North Shore waves can lull you into relaxation.
—Brittany Anas, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
The commercial ends as the music reaches a crescendo, but the song is barely heard over the head nun’s crunching of the chips.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Upon his return, the lapses and failings would reach a crescendo on the morning and afternoon of Jan. 6, 2023, when the boy brought his mother’s gun to school.
—Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Just as an orchestra's crescendo expands to captivate audiences, Distribution enriches the symphony of tec5USA's offerings, allowing a wider audience to benefit from the company's technological prowess.
—Jon Stojan, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
The crescendo to Clark’s college career could come in the form of a national title.
—Alex Leeds Matthews and Ben Morse, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Those warnings reached a crescendo Monday with the release of new report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global multi-stakeholder initiative working on food security and nutrition analysis.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024
The book builds to a booming crescendo and then crashes into a quiet, unexpected but anticlimactic conclusion.
—Kelly Lawler, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024
Then, just as the speculation was reaching a crescendo, came the photo.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2024
Or, book a post-surf stretch massage in an oceanside cabana so hearing the crescendo of North Shore waves can lull you into relaxation.
—Brittany Anas, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crescendo.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to crescendo
Dictionary Entries Near crescendo
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crescendo. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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