1
a
: a showy tuft or process on the head of an animal and especially a bird see bird illustration
b
: the plume or identifying emblem worn on a knight's helmet
also
: the top of a helmet
c(1)
: a heraldic representation of the crest
(2)
: a heraldic device depicted above the escutcheon (see escutcheon sense 1) but not upon a helmet
(3)
d
: a ridge or prominence on a part of an animal body
2
: something suggesting a crest especially in being an upper prominence, edge, or limit: such as
a
: peak
especially
: the top line of a mountain or hill
b
: the ridge of a roof
c
: the top of a wave
3
a
: a high point of an action or process and especially of one that is rhythmic
b
: climax, culmination
at the crest of his fame
crested; cresting; crests
1
: to furnish with a crest
also
: crown
2
: to reach the crest of
crested the hill and looked around
: to rise to a crest
waves cresting in the storm
Examples of crest in a Sentence
Noun
at that point the filmmaker was at the crest of his critical acclaim, which included winning an Oscar for best picture
the hiking party reached the crest of the mountain just as it began to thunder
Verb
We crested the hill and looked out around us.
Recent Examples on the Web
Horatio Clare,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 June 2026
Behind the judge’s chair hung a massive crest of an eagle with wings spread, its fierce beak turned stage right.
—
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
The second wave crested with the craft barbecue renaissance of the 2010s, when pitmasters began treating cuts of meat with the reverence white-tablecloth restaurants reserved for seasonal produce.
—
Charlie Kolodziej,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for crest
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
From the peaks of the Sahyadri mountains, crests of the Western Ghats which loom dramatically above us, the Vavali stream flows down to the lake-like Pawna reservoir.
—
Horatio Clare,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 June 2026
Behind the judge’s chair hung a massive crest of an eagle with wings spread, its fierce beak turned stage right.
—
William Finnegan,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
Verb
Miller, one of the other cadets, sat on a bench on the rear of the ship one afternoon as hundreds of dolphins crested above the waves.
—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
1 July 2026
The second wave crested with the craft barbecue renaissance of the 2010s, when pitmasters began treating cuts of meat with the reverence white-tablecloth restaurants reserved for seasonal produce.
—
Charlie Kolodziej,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for crest
Cite this Entry
“Crest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crest. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crest
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a showy growth (as of flesh or feathers) on the head of an animal
b
: an emblem or design on a helmet (as of a knight) or over a coat of arms
2
: an upper part, edge, or limit
the crest of a hill
the crest of a wave
crested
adjective
ˈkres-təd
crest
2 of 2 verb1
: to give a crest to
2
: to reach the crest of
crest the hill
3
: to rise to a crest
sea waves cresting
Medical Definition
crest
noun1
: a showy tuft or process on the head of an animal and especially a bird
2
: a process or prominence on a part of an animal body: as
a
: the upper curve or ridge of the neck of a quadruped (as a horse)
also
: the mane borne on such a crest
b
: a ridge especially on a bone
the crest of the tibia
see frontal crest, occipital crest
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