1
: an 8-day period of observances beginning with a festival day
2
a
: a stanza of eight lines : ottava rima
b
: the first eight lines of an Italian sonnet
3
a
: a musical interval embracing eight diatonic degrees
b
: a tone or note at this interval
c
: the harmonic combination of two tones an octave apart
d
: the whole series of notes, tones, or digitals comprised within this interval and forming the unit of the modern scale
e
: an organ stop giving tones an octave above those corresponding to the keys
4
: the interval between two frequencies (as in an electromagnetic spectrum) having a ratio of 2 to 1
5
: a group of eight
Examples of octave in a Sentence
He sang the song an octave lower.
Recent Examples on the Web
The cast belts them at a terrific, breathless, breakneck pace, scaling octaves as demanded.
—
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Aquarius — governed by rebellious Uranus, the higher octave of Mercury — is an Air sign that is all about revolution, progress and originality.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The emotion holds center stage, backed by adamant violins and horns and sneaky melodies that vault up an octave to hit surprising notes.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Designed for mixing, mastering and editing, the DT 1990 PRO MKII headphones have a natural and spacious soundstage with accurate bass response, even in the lowest octaves.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for octave
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Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
Aquarius — governed by rebellious Uranus, the higher octave of Mercury — is an Air sign that is all about revolution, progress and originality.
—Valerie Mesa, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The emotion holds center stage, backed by adamant violins and horns and sneaky melodies that vault up an octave to hit surprising notes.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Designed for mixing, mastering and editing, the DT 1990 PRO MKII headphones have a natural and spacious soundstage with accurate bass response, even in the lowest octaves.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for octave
Cite this Entry
“Octave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/octave. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
octave
noun
oc·tave
ˈäk-tiv 
-təv,
-ˌtāv
1
: a group of eight lines of poetry (as the first eight lines of a sonnet)
2
a
: the difference in pitch between the first and eighth tone on the scale
b
: a tone or note that is eight steps above or below another note or tone
3
: a group of eight
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