Meaning & use
syncopate
To shift the emphasis in music to a beat that is normally weak or unaccented.
See it in a sentence
The pianist syncopated the melody, placing accents just before the beats listeners expected.
Jazz musicians often syncopate simple rhythms to give a song a livelier, off-balance feel.
A note on using this word
A technical music term; the resulting rhythmic effect is called syncopation.
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