Definition of "sforzando" []

• Suddenly or strongly accented. Used chiefly as a direction. (adverb)
• A sforzando tone or chord. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It must have been true also of works such as the often passed - over Second Symphony, whose jagged first movement about seven minutes of music, not counting the repeat of the exposition contains the indications forte, fortissimo, sforzando (reinforced, strongly accented), forte - piano, or sforzando - piano at more than 260 points, and the instruction "crescendo" at 17 points."
• "Anna Zubrzycki, the company's co-founder, lends Lady Macbeth a steely determination, but relies overmuch on sforzando by which odd phrases are intemperately bellowed."
• "The coupler being brought on and off by a pedal, sforzando effects could be produced, or the first beat in cadi measure strongly accented in the style of the orchestration of the great masters."