How to use staccato in a sentence

11 example sentences · noun, adverb, adjective

Staccato means an articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead. Example: “According to the syllable-timed hypothesis, Spanish syllables as staccato.”

Examples of staccato by meaning

nounAny sound resembling a musical staccato.

According to the syllable-timed hypothesis, Spanish syllables as staccato.

adverbPlayed in this style.

Now, play the same passage very staccato.

adjectiveMade up of abruptly disconnected parts or sounds.

Not for long, of course, for already stealing upon one's hearing would be the staccato bark and thrust of the banker bringing up the rear.1953 December, Henry Maxwell, “The Folkestone Harbour Branch: Some Evocations”, in Railway Magazine, page 809
The water-level route, the whistle and the loud staccato exhaust of this great engine recalled most vividly memories of the New York Central Hudsons highballing along the Hudson River between Harmon and Albany!1960 October, P. Ransome-Wallis, “Modern motive power of the German Federal Railway: Part Two”, in Trains Illustrated, page 613

More sentences with staccato

The articulation in this piece is tricky because it alternates between legato and staccato.From the entry articulation
Each staccato flare of light was glaring and vehement and expanded into the corners of the room.2005, Matthew Vierling, Last Refuge, →ISBN, page 421. From the entry kill zone
A majority also called loudly with a short staccato sequence of 3–5 kaws at the start of the feeding session.2013, Guenther Witzany, Biocommunication of Animals, page 197. From the entry kaw
There are, for instance, those puzzling slurrings and staccato markings that are scattered through the primary sources of the organ music.1985, Peter Williams, Bach, Handel, Scarlatti, Tercentenary Essays. From the entry slurring
She bravely guided us through the musical scale and urged us to memorize signature notes and musical terms: staccato, legato, forté, pianissimo.1993, Mary Helen Ponce, Hoyt Street: An Autobiography, page 254. From the entry forté
To produce variable intensities and fast changes of tone, such as staccatos with pianissimo and fortissimo, the role of the intercostal, abdominal and subnavel muscles is essential.2006, Jean Abitbol, Odyssey of the Voice, page 381. From the entry subnavel
They and I stumbled around with staccato gaits, first windsome, then fierce, getting faster and faster until the whole thing resembled some sort of spastic frenzy.1984, John Steakley, Armor. From the entry windsome

Meaning of staccato

noun An articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.
noun A passage having this mark.
noun Any sound resembling a musical staccato.

Full definition of staccato

Questions about staccato in a sentence

How do you use staccato in a sentence?: Staccato is used as a noun, adverb and adjective. For example: “According to the syllable-timed hypothesis, Spanish syllables as staccato.”
What is a short sentence with staccato?: “Now, play the same passage very staccato.”
What does staccato mean?: Staccato means an articulation marking directing that a note or passage of notes are to be played in an abruptly disconnected manner, with each note sounding for a very short duration, and a short break lasting until the sounding of the next note; as opposed to legato. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.

Adapted from Wiktionary: staccato (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “How to use staccato in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/staccato. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.