Coda
noun /ˈkoʊ.də/ — The concluding passage of a musical piece.
Definition
A concluding section of a musical composition — distinct from the main body, often functioning as a summation, elaboration, or resolution. More broadly, any conclusion or ending section that wraps up what has come before.
Beyond the definition
The coda says: we are ending, but not abruptly. There is time to take a breath, to feel the whole, to be prepared. It is the musical equivalent of a good goodbye.
Origin & history
Italian: 'tail'; from Latin 'cauda' (tail). In music since the 16th century; in general English to mean any concluding passage.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Beethoven's codas are famously long and emphatic — the Fifth Symphony has a coda that feels like a second ending, then a third.
She thought of their conversation's coda: the brief, quiet exchange at the door after everything important had been said.
The novel's coda — a single chapter set ten years later — recontextualized everything that came before it.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Coda” when the meaning fits your context: A concluding section of a musical composition — distinct from the main body, often functioning as a summation, elaboration, or resolution. More broadly, any conclusion or ending section that wraps up what has come before.
Synonyms
conclusion, finale, postlude, envoi
Antonyms
opening, introduction, prelude
Related words
Coda vs finale
Use coda to describe a specific structural section at the end of a musical piece or literary work. Use finale to describe the final, often climactic, performance or event in a series.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Chair Being Reclaimed By Forest
A wooden chair sits on the forest floor, becoming a final, integrated part of the earth as mushrooms grow on the seat.
A coda is the concluding resolution of a composition. The chair's final state as nature reclaims it serves as this summary, acting as a final resolution to the history of the human-made object.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Coda" mean?
Coda is noun meaning: The concluding passage of a musical piece.. A concluding section of a musical composition — distinct from the main body, often functioning as a summation, elaboration, or resolution. More broadly, any conclusion or ending section that wraps up what has come before.
Where does the word "Coda" come from?
Italian: 'tail'; from Latin 'cauda' (tail). In music since the 16th century; in general English to mean any concluding passage.