cadence.

1. The patterned rise, fall, or recurrence that gives speech, movement, or sound its rhythm.

2. A sequence of chords or notes that brings a musical phrase to a resting point.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• the cadence of speech
• a measured cadence
• marching cadence

On the page

Her mother's cadence survived in phrases she had sworn never to use.

The porter's boots kept a measured cadence along the platform.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular cadence; plural cadences. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.