scherzo UK /ˈskɛətsəʊ/US /ˈskɛəɹ(ˌ)tsoʊ/ noun1 •A piece of music or a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony; especially, a piece of music played in a playful manner.At seven Val knocked – three shorts and one long, out of the scherzo of Beethoven’s Fifth – and I rushed to open. — 1980 formsscherzi · scherzos