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Definition of "staccato" [‖Stac•ca•to]

  • Music Cut short crisply; detached: staccato octaves. (adjective)
  • Marked by or composed of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds: staccato applause. (adjective)
  • A staccato manner or sound. (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.

Use "staccato" in a sentence
  • "‡ The term staccato has been applied generally to things that occur in rapid bursts, such as gunfire."
  • "Mieville gropes for a prose style in the opening hundred pages or so, meaning that the opening part of the book is delivered in short, staccato bursts, one moment enjoyable, the next annoyingly obtuse to the point of turgidness."
  • "For much of the first half of the film Moon blurts out her lines in staccato style, which had me concentrating more on her acting than the movie."