What does "coda" mean?
A passage that brings a movement or piece to a conclusion through prolongation.
Coda
/ˈkəʊ.də/ noun
noun ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A passage that brings a movement or piece to a conclusion through prolongation.
- Grammar: coda is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: finale, accession, accessory, accompaniment.
- Useful contrasts: exposition, introduction, intros.
- Usage evidence: The nucleus and optional coda of a syllable are called the rime.
How to use "coda"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "coda" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "coda" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "coda" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "coda" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "coda" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "finale" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "coda", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A passage that brings a movement or piece to a conclusion through prolongation.
"In classical music there are, as the analytical programs tell us, first subjects and second subjects, free fantasias, recapitulations, and codas; there are fugues, with counter-subjects, strettos, and pedal points; there are passacaglias on ground basses, canons ad hypodiapente, and other ingenuities, which have, after all, stood or fallen by their prettiness as much as the simplest folk-tune."
- 2 Alternative spelling of CODA. alt-of, alternative
- 3 A person born hearing to deaf parents.
- 4 the closing section of a musical composition wordnet
- 5 The optional final sound of a syllable or word, occurring after its nucleus and usually composed of one or more consonants.
"The word “salts” has three consonants — /l/, /t/, and /s/ — in its coda, whereas the word “glee” has no coda at all."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 In seismograms, the gradual return to baseline after a seismic event. The length of the coda can be used to estimate event magnitude, and the shape sometimes reveals details of subsurface structures.
- 7 A conclusion (of a statement or event, for example), final portion, tail end. figuratively
"Downstairs, a little later, in the drawing room, the coda of the party was unwinding, and Gerald opening new bottles of champagne as though he made no distinction between the boring drunks who "sat," and the knowing few of the inner circle, gathered round the empty marble fireplace."
- 8 A series of clicks used by sperm whales for communicating with each other.
Antonyms
Example
"The nucleus and optional coda of a syllable are called the rime."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "coda"?
Common synonyms include: finale, accession, accessory, accompaniment, addenda, addendum.
How do you use "coda" in a sentence?
The nucleus and optional coda of a syllable are called the rime.
How do you pronounce "coda"?
Pronounced /ˈkəʊ.də/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Italian coda (literally “tail”), from Latin cauda. Doublet of queue and cola.
Etymology 2
Acronym of child of deaf adults.