PRESTO Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

adverb

quickly, rapidly, or immediately.
at a rapid tempo (used as a musical direction).

adjective

quick or rapid.
executed at a rapid tempo (used as a musical direction).

noun

Music. a movement or piece in quick tempo.

presto British

/ ˈprɛstəʊ /

adjective

music to be played very fast

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

immediately, suddenly, or at once (esp in the phrase hey presto )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

music a movement or passage directed to be played very quickly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of presto

1590–1600; < Italian: quick, quickly < Late Latin praestus (adj.) ready, Latin praestō (adv.) at hand

Explanation

Want a fast definition? Presto! Presto means "suddenly," or "super fast." Magicians love to yell presto! before a trick. In music, to play something presto is to play it at a very fast tempo. Presto comes from Italian for “quickly.” Officially, presto is the second-quickest speed that music can be played (after prestissimo). To a pianist, presto means one thing, while to a magician it means another. In this case, presto still means "fast," but it refers to the speed at which an illusion is created. If you dabble in magic tricks, you might say, "Presto!" at the moment you make a rabbit disappear or turn a silk scarf into a bouquet of flowers.

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Vocabulary lists containing presto

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Whenever this occurred, I would simply read a passage or two from his book and presto, I was back in the game with every no becoming a yes!

FromThe Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

And then, just as it seemed that Capaldi had always been, would always be, the Doctor, hey presto, Whittaker appeared as the 13th.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 17, 2024

A legal success, and presto, it’s alive again.

FromSeattle Times • Apr. 25, 2024

Then, presto — all that data appeared on the Android.

FromNew York Times • Apr. 3, 2024

One hit of the delete button and a quick rewrite and presto!

From"The Misfits" by James Howe

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023