Music. a shifting of the normal accent, usually by stressing the normally unaccented beats. syncope. ...

What does syncopation mean?

1 : a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat. 2 : a syncopated rhythm, passage, or dance step. Other Words from syncopation Example Sentences Learn More About syncopation.

Is syncopated a real word?

When your ear is expecting a weak beat and instead hears a strong or stressed one, it's syncopated. ... As a verb, syncopate means to make music with this kind of rhythm and also to "shorten words by omitting syllables," from the Greek root synkope, "contraction of a word."