syncopation

/ˈsɪŋkəˌpeɪʃən/

Other forms: syncopations

If no one's dancing at the school dance, it might be time to ask the DJ to play some music with more syncopation, or a strong, distinct rhythm that makes you want to move.

Jazz is the musical genre best known for syncopation, using rhythm and beats in unexpected ways to make exciting, finger-snapping music. Syncopation has been around for a lot longer than that, though — it pops up in works by Bach and Mozart, for example.

Definitions of syncopation

1. noun

   a musical rhythm accenting a normally weak beat
   type of:

   beat, musical rhythm, rhythm

   the basic rhythmic unit in a piece of music
2. noun

   music (especially dance music) that has a syncopated rhythm
   type of:

   music

   an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
3. noun

   (phonology) the loss of sounds from within a word (as in `fo'c'sle' for `forecastle')
   synonyms: syncope

   type of:

   articulation

   the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech