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 …—
DownBeat
DownBeat2
: a crescendo musical passage
crescendo
intransitive verb
crescendo
2 of 2adverb or adjective
: with an increase in volume
—used as a direction in music
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 Web
Greg Cote
january 1, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
The narrative reached a crescendo in October, when concerns over the US fiscal outlook collided with the longest government shutdown on record.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
After the best of the album’s crescendos, Ellis strips everything away again, pining for a character named Annie.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
Home fans also gave an extraordinary crescendo of ‘oohs’ when Palmer hit a pass through a small corridor of Everton players and into Joao Pedro’s path.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
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Noun
Final game of 2025 regular season is a prime-time prize befitting such a crescendo.
—Greg Cote
january 1, Miami Herald, 1 Jan. 2026
The narrative reached a crescendo in October, when concerns over the US fiscal outlook collided with the longest government shutdown on record.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
After the best of the album’s crescendos, Ellis strips everything away again, pining for a character named Annie.
—Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 19 Dec. 2025
Home fans also gave an extraordinary crescendo of ‘oohs’ when Palmer hit a pass through a small corridor of Everton players and into Joao Pedro’s path.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crescendo
Cite this Entry
“Crescendo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crescendo. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
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