rejoice

American  

[ri-jois] / rɪˈdʒɔɪs /

verb (used without object)

• rejoices,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rejoiced,
  past participle,  past
• rejoicing
  present participle

1. to be glad; take delight (often followed byin ).

   to rejoice in another's happiness.

   Synonyms:

   glory, exult, revel

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verb (used with object)

• rejoices,
  present (3rd person singular)
• rejoiced,
  past participle,  past
• rejoicing
  present participle

1. to make joyful; gladden.

   a song to rejoice the heart.

rejoice British  

/ rɪˈdʒɔɪs /

verb

1. to feel or express great joy or happiness

2. archaic (tr) to cause to feel joy

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rejoicer
  noun
• rejoicing
  noun
• prerejoice
  verb (used without object)
• rejoiceful
  adjective
• unrejoiced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• rejoicing
  present
• rejoiced
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rejoice
  simple
• rejoices
  simple
• have rejoiced
  perfect
• has rejoiced
  perfect
• am rejoicing
  progressive
• are rejoicing
  progressive
• is rejoicing
  progressive
• have been rejoicing
  perfect progressive
• has been rejoicing
  perfect progressive

Past

• rejoiced
  simple
• had rejoiced
  perfect
• was rejoicing
  progressive
• were rejoicing
  progressive
• had been rejoicing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rejoice
  simple
• will have rejoiced
  perfect
• will be rejoicing
  progressive
• will have been rejoicing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rejoice

1275–1325; Middle English rejoicen < Old French rejouiss-, long stem of rejouir, equivalent to re- re- + jouir to rejoice; see joy

Explanation

To rejoice is to be incredibly happy, or to express your incredible happiness. If you just won millions in the lottery, you might rejoice by screaming at the top of your lungs. When you rejoice, you celebrate or feel extreme happiness. You might rejoice after scoring the winning goal in a championship game, or you might rejoice when you receive an amazing gift on your birthday. You’ll often hear this word in the phrase “let us rejoice,” especially in some religious settings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rejoice rejoices rejoiced rejoicing

Never mind the quality, just rejoice in the qualification?

From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026

"You rejoice and cry, and you tremble inside from the emotion -- seeing those eyes that are both sad and joyful and filled with tears," she told AFP during a recent prisoner exchange.

From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026

When the Prodigal Son’s older brother is bothered about the feast, his father tells him to rejoice in his brother’s return.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

And finally, lovers of Maurizio Cattelan’s “America”, rejoice.

From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2025

And now rejoice, oh, ye faithful, for Ruth May has risen, but she has the naked stare of a zombie and has lost interest in being first or best at anything.

From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver

As energy bills soar elsewhere in the world, "Our property manager has announced a 20 percent reduction in heating and hot water bills for 2026 and 2027," rejoices the 69-year-old retiree.

From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026

“My heart breaks for my brother who’s no longer with us but it rejoices knowing he’s with his fellow warriors in Valhalla drinking and fighting with Odin,” she wrote in another post on Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024

I don’t think you’ll find a hostage family that rejoices in that.

From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2023

Daria rejoices in what she calls "small victories".

From Reuters ● Mar. 8, 2022

“Indeed! This worthless one rejoices that it is so. And what of my revered friend, your half brother and protector, Gebu the stonecutter? Is he also well?”

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

"The theory not only reproduces the experiment but also provides the basis for guiding future discoveries in this system," rejoiced Schiró.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

He rejoiced that “slavery has reached the limits of expansion” and that “the fate of the experiment of republican government” was no longer in danger.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

And that was the tune belted out from the west section of the national stadium as the City players lifted the trophy amid the pyrotechnics, and fans rejoiced by serenading Semenyo.

From BBC ● May 16, 2026

Though some Iranians mourned the death of their supreme leader, others rejoiced.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

They were now ruling the country and of course were rejoiced to welcome Aeneas and his men.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Fans are rejoicing because Scotland is playing in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

There was much rejoicing and the oil was able to flow once more and prices returned almost to where they had been before the strait was closed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

When they're rejoicing in this kind of performance, the place shakes.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

Benjamin Samat, a French influencer living in Dubai, took to Instagram to lash out at "those who on social media are rejoicing that the French are going through this".

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

In every Allied capital, and cities all over the world, exuberant crowds poured into the streets, cheering and hugging soldiers in uniform, singing, dancing, and rejoicing.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Related Words

• exult
• revel