- 1(music) a gradual increase in how loudly a piece of music is played or sung opposite diminuendo
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- 2a gradual increase in noise; the loudest point of a period of continuous noise synonym swell Voices rose in a crescendo and drowned him out. There was a tremendous crescendo of noise. The shrieks of laughter rose to a crescendo. (figurative) The advertising campaign reached a crescendo just before Christmas.
crescendo
nounNAmE//krəˈʃɛndoʊ//
(pl. crescendos) [countable, uncountable]Check pronunciation: crescendo