cadence

UK: /ˈkeɪd^əns/ US: /ˈkeɪdəns/ ,(kād′ns)

Inflections of 'cadence' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

cadences

v 3rd person singular

cadencing

v pres p

cadenced

v past

cadenced

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•dence /ˈkeɪdəns/   n. [countable]

1. rhythm in the flow of sounds or words:
   the cadence of the drummers.
2. the flow or rhythm of events:
   the cadences of modern life.
3. a slight falling or rising in pitch of the voice in speaking:
   Listen to the cadence in English questions and statements.

See -cad-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ca•dence  (kād′ns), n., v., -denced, -denc•ing. 
n. Also, cadency. 

1. rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words:
   the cadence of language.
2. (in free verse) a rhythmic pattern that is nonmetrically structured.
3. the beat, rate, or measure of any rhythmic movement:
   The chorus line danced in rapid cadence.
4. the flow or rhythm of events, esp. the pattern in which something is experienced:
   the frenetic cadence of modern life.
5. a slight falling in pitch of the voice in speaking or reading, as at the end of a declarative sentence.
6. the general modulation of the voice.
7. [Music.] a sequence of notes or chords that indicates the momentary or complete end of a composition, section, phrase, etc.

v.t. 
8. to make rhythmical.
• Italian cadenza; see cadenza
• Middle French
• Middle English 1350–1400
Synonyms
• 3. tempo, pulse, rhythm, meter.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cadence / ˈkeɪd^əns/, cadency noun ( -dences, -dencies)

1. the beat or measure of something rhythmic
2. a fall in the pitch of the voice, as at the end of a sentence
3. modulation of the voice; intonation
4. a rhythm or rhythmic construction in verse or prose; measure
5. the close of a musical phrase or section

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French, from Old Italian cadenza, literally: a falling, from Latin cadere to fall