sing Hear it!

sing¹ Definition

sing (siŋ)

intransitive verb sang, sung, sing′·ing

    1. to produce musical sounds or notes with the voice, esp. in a connected series, as in giving voice to a song
    2. to perform musical selections vocally, esp. as a professional
  2. to use song or verse in description, praise, etc. of thee I sing
    1. to make musical sounds like those made by the human voice, as a violin or songbird
    2. to make a sound of whistling, buzzing, humming, etc., as a steaming teakettle, a bee, a strong wind, etc.
  4. to have a sensation of ringing, humming, buzzing, etc., as the ears
  5. to admit of being sung
  6. to be exultant; rejoice a sight to make one's heart sing
  7. Slang to confess to a crime, esp. so as to implicate others

Etymology: ME singen < OE singan, akin to Ger singen < IE base *sengwh- > Gr omphē, a voice, oracle

transitive verb

  1. to render or deliver (a song, musical role, etc.) by singing
  2. to chant or intone (part of a church service, etc.)
  3. to describe, proclaim, extol, celebrate, etc. in or as in song or verse to sing someone's praises
  4. to bring to a given state or place by or with singing to sing a baby to sleep

noun

  1. Informal singing by a group gathered for the purpose
  2. such a gathering of people

sing¹ Related Forms
sing′·able adjective
sing¹ Idioms

sing out

Informal to speak or call out loudly; shout

sing² Definition

sing

singular

sing Synonyms

sing

v.

  1. To produce vocal music

    chant, carol, warble, vocalize, trill, croon, choir, twitter, chirp, lilt, harmonize, sing soprano, sing tenor, sing bass, sing alto, sing baritone, raise a song, lift up the voice in song, pipe up, burst into song.

    Antonyms mumble*, squawk*, screech. *

  2. To produce a sound suggestive of singing

    buzz, resound, purr; see hum, sound 1.

  3. To write poetry

    celebrate in song, versify, tell in verse, compose, grow lyrical; see also write 1.

sing Usage Examples

Object

  • song: Have you ever tried singing a good song using a karaoke?
  • hymn: Some of us headed off to sing a few hymns.
  • praise: The saints sing the high praises of their God.
  • carol: Huge fires were going all night and both sides sang carols.
  • psalm: He makes people rise at five in the morning to sing psalms.
  • anthem: The Regent Singers, with whom she had been rehearsing, sang a touching anthem by John David called This is the New Day.

Subject

  • choir: A talk was given by historian and author Jill Liddington and suffrage songs were sung by a local choir.

Preposition: along

  • chorus: A great, if bizarre sing along chorus as well should go down well.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • along: I was singing along at the top of my voice!

Preposition: in

  • choir: A good number of young people sing in the choir.
  • unison: Later they would sing in unison backed by a local choir.
  • harmony: I sang Si Kahn's song Here is my home, a secular hymn about the fellowship of singing in harmony.
  • falsetto: Did you used to sing in falsetto, if so who sang in this style?
  • chorus: Elizabeth has sung in the chorus in productions of The Rake's Progress, Manon, Idomeneo and Marriage of Figaro.
  • shower: We sang in the shower, ' Ain't no Mountain High Enough. ' In fact we sung it a lot over this trip.

Preposition: of

  • psalm: Why did he then appoint the ordinances of preaching, prayer, singing of psalms, baptism, and the Lord's supper?

Preposition: from

  • sheet: Judging by Browne's speech last week, some of the oil majors appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

Preposition: with

  • passion: Song one " Come Back " a big hit in the 80's sung here with passion and volume.

Preposition: for

  • joy: He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

Preposition: by

  • choir: A talk was given by historian and author Jill Liddington and suffrage songs were sung by a local choir.
sing Quotes

The French are nice people. I allow them to sing and to write, and they allow me to do whatever I like.

—Mazarin,Jules, Cardinal

Can't act.Can't sing. Slightly bald.Can dance a little.

—Anonymous

Pussy said to the Owl,'You elegant Fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows, And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose.

—Lear, Edward

Ki qu'en plurt ne ki qu'en chant, le dreit estuet aler avant. Whether it makes one cry or sing, justice must be carried out.

—Maria¤ t egui,Jose¤   Carlos

Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing My God and King.

—Herbert, George

America the beautiful, Let me sing of thee; Burger King and Dairy Queen From sea to shining sea.

—Huxtable, Ada Louise ne¤  e Landman

O come let us sing unto the L: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. Psalms

—Bible (Old Testament)

Ocome, let ussing untothe Lord; let usheartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God; and a great King above all gods. In his hand are all the corners of the earth; and the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands prepared the dry land. O come, let us worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is the Lord our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

—Book of Common Prayer

And said I that my limbs were old, And said I that my blood was cold, And that my kindly fire was fled, And my poor withered heart was dead, And that I might not sing of Love?

—Scott, Sir Walter

No good opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.

—Auden,W(ystan) H(ugh)

   Sing 'Booh to youö Pooh, pooh to you'ö And that's what I shall say!

—Gilbert, Sir W(illiam) S(chwenck)

Come, gie's a sang, Montgomery cry'd, And lay your disputes a'aside; What signifies't for folks to chide For what's been done before them? Let Whig and Torya'agree, Whig and Tory,Whig and Tory, Whig and Tory a'agree To drop their whigmigmorum; Let Whig and Torya'agree To spend this night wi'mirth and glee, And cheerfu'sing, alang wi'me, The Reel o' Tullochgorum.

—Skinner,John

This is not a book in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit inthe face of Art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny,Time, Love, Beauty†what you will. I am going to sing for you, a little off-key perhaps, but I will sing.

—Miller, Henry Valentine

Yo he conocido cantores que era un gusto el escuchar; mas no quieren opinar y se divierten cantando; pero yo canto opinando, que es mi modo de cantar. I have known singers it was a pleasure to listen to; theyamuse themselves singing and don't care to give opinions; but I sing giving opinions and that's my kind of song.

—Herna¤ n dez,Jose¤

Through breaks of the cedar and sycamore bowers Struggles the light that is love to the flowers; And, softer than slumber and sweeter than singing, The notes of the bell-birds are running and ringing. The silver-voiced bell-birds, the darlings of daytime! They sing in September their songs of the May-time.

—Kendall, Henry Clarence

I want to retire at 50. I want to play cricket in the summer and geriatric football in the winter, and sing in the choir.

—Kinnock, Neil Gordon

Jubilate Deo, omnis terra; servite Domino in laetitia. Sing joyfully to God, all the earth; serve the Lord with gladness. See Book of Common Prayer143:66.

—Bible (Vulgate)

   You got to have smelt a lot of mule manure before you can sing like a hillbilly.

—Williams, (Hiram) Hank

I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For everyatom belonging to me asgood belongs to you.

—Whitman,Walt(er)

I sing of brooks, of blossoms, birds, and bowers: Of April, May, of June, and July-flowers. I sing of May-poles, Hock-carts, wassails, wakes, Of bride-grooms, brides, and of their bridal-cakes.

—Herrick, Robert

I write of Hell; I sing (and ever shall) Of Heaven, and hope to have it after all.

—Herrick, Robert

O mighty-mouthed inventor of harmonies, O skilled to sing of Time or Eternity, God-gifted organ-voice of England, Milton, a name to resound for ages.

—Tennyson

Sing on, with hymns uproarious, Ye humble and aloof, Look up! and oh, how glorious He has restored the roof!

—Betjeman, SirJohn

All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice. Him serve with mirth, his praise forth tell, Come ye before him and rejoice. Know that the Lord is God indeed; Without our aid he did us make: We are his folk, he doth us feed, And for his sheep he doth us take.

—Scottish Metrical Psalms

Sing unto the Lord a new song: sing praises lustily unto him with a good courage.

—Book of Common Prayer

I only know that summer sang in me A little while, that in me sings no more.

—Millay, Edna St Vincent

There entertain him all the saints above, In solemn troops, and sweet societies That sing, and singing in their glory move, And wipe the tears for ever from his eyes.

—Milton,John

The way your smile just beams The way you sing off key The way you haunt my dreams No, no! They can't take that away from me!

—Gershwin, Ira originally Israel Gershowitz

What are you going to sing? All I can say isösing 'em muck! It's all they can understand!

—Melba, Dame Nellie real name Helen Mitchell

Alas! so all things now do hold their peace, Heaven and earth disturbed in no thing† Calm is the sea, the waves work less and less; So am not I whom love, alas, doth wring, Bringing before my face the great increase Of my desires, whereat I weep and sing, In joy and woe, as in a doubtful ease. For my sweet thoughts sometime do pleasure bring, But by and by the cause of my disease Gives me a pang that inwardly doth sting, When that I think what grief it is again To live and lack the thing should rid my pain.

—Surrey, Henry Howard, Earl of

   'Tis a suresign that work goes on merrily, whenfolkssing at it.

—Bickerstaffe, Isaac

Four and twenty Yankees, feeling very dry, Went across the border to get a drink of rye. When the rye was opened, theYanks began to sing, 'God bless America, but God save the King!'

—Anonymous