plural sopranos
1
: the highest singing voice of women or boys and formerly of castrati
also
: a person having this voice
2
: the highest voice part in a 4-part chorus
3
: a member of a family of instruments having the highest range
Examples of soprano in a Sentence
Noun
She sings in a high soprano.
Recent Examples on the Web
Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and renowned soprano Larisa Martínez are joined by celebrated pianist Peter Dugan for an evening of romantic arias and modern classics.
—The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024
There were moments on Monday that wanted a soprano more fiery than ivory.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, and Four Last Songs, featuring radiant soprano Maria Valdes as soloist.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024
If anything, the soprano sounded more at home in the Handel, at ease with its ornamentation and more attuned to its drama.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
The ensemble’s final incarnation features two original members, alto Janis Siegel and tenor Alan Paul, as well as soprano Cheryl Bentyne, who replaced founder Laurel Massé in 1979 as the band reached its widest audience in the 1980s.
—Andrew Gilbert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023
By her teens, her celestial soprano was taking flight in the choir at the William Penn High School for Girls.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
To Kepler, the solar system had two basses, Jupiter and Saturn; a tenor, Mars; two altos, Venus and Earth; and a soprano, Mercury.
—Chris Impey, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
Noun
That soprano will be Karen Chia-ling Ho, who is Taiwanese; the doll’s puppeteer is Hua Hua Zhang, who was born in Beijing.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell and renowned soprano Larisa Martínez are joined by celebrated pianist Peter Dugan for an evening of romantic arias and modern classics.
—The Enquirer, 5 Mar. 2024
There were moments on Monday that wanted a soprano more fiery than ivory.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, and Four Last Songs, featuring radiant soprano Maria Valdes as soloist.
—The Arizona Republic, 25 Feb. 2024
If anything, the soprano sounded more at home in the Handel, at ease with its ornamentation and more attuned to its drama.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024
The ensemble’s final incarnation features two original members, alto Janis Siegel and tenor Alan Paul, as well as soprano Cheryl Bentyne, who replaced founder Laurel Massé in 1979 as the band reached its widest audience in the 1980s.
—Andrew Gilbert, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Dec. 2023
By her teens, her celestial soprano was taking flight in the choir at the William Penn High School for Girls.
—Alex Williams, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024
To Kepler, the solar system had two basses, Jupiter and Saturn; a tenor, Mars; two altos, Venus and Earth; and a soprano, Mercury.
—Chris Impey, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'soprano.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near soprano
Cite this Entry
“Soprano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soprano. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
soprano
1 of 2 adjective
so·pra·no
sə-ˈpran-ō 
-ˈprän-
-ˈprän-
1
: relating to the soprano voice or part
2
: having a high range
soprano sax
soprano
2 of 2 noun
plural sopranos
1
: the highest voice part in harmony for four parts with men's and women's voices compare alto sense 1b, bass entry 2 sense 1a, tenor sense 2a
2
: the highest singing voice of women or boys
also
: a person with this voice
Etymology
Adjective
from Italian soprano "relating to a soprano or soprano part," from sopra "above," from Latin supra "above"
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