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Definition of cadence : 1. A cadenza, or closing embellishment; a pause before the end of a strain, which the performer may fill with a flight of fancy.
2. A fall of the voice in reading or speaking, especially at the end of a sentence.
3. A rhythmical modulation of the voice or of any sound; as, music of bells in cadence sweet.
4. A uniform time and place in marching.
5. Harmony and proportion in motions, as of a well- managed horse.
6. Rhythmical flow of language, in prose or verse.
7. See Cadency.
8. The act or state of declining or sinking.
9. The close or fall of a strain; the point of rest, commonly reached by the immediate succession of the tonic to the dominant chord.
10. To regulate by musical measure.

Synonyms:

quantity, measuring rod, measure, metre, step, arpeggio, descant, criterion, measurement, croak, flourish, musical rhythm, beatnik, coda, counterpoint, tone, amount, meter, flow, touchstone, pulse, time, measuring stick, round, pulsation, measuring, breakbeat, excerpt, expression, repetition, accompaniment, twang, cadency, swing, inflection, imperative, bill, crescendo, quaver, break, bar, m, rhythm, beat, heartbeat, tremor, standard, mensuration

Usage examples:

• Paganini again took up the instrument, and played a short piece with such touching pathos and astonishing execution, that the audience sat breathless till the last dying cadence wakened them into thunders of applause, and hearts thrilled as the name " Paganini" crept from mouth to mouth. - "Great Violinists And Pianists", George T. Ferris.
• His ordinary song is like the red- eye's and the yellow- throat's, except that it is pitched somewhat higher and has a peculiar inflection or cadence, which on sufficient acquaintance becomes quite unmistakable. - "Birds in the Bush", Bradford Torrey.
• It melted, in the summer twilight, gradually into pity, and the pity after a little found a cadence to which the renewed click of her purse gave an accent. - "What Maisie Knew", Henry James.