rejoice
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rejoices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rejoiced,
past participle, past
-
rejoicing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
rejoices,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rejoiced,
past participle, past
-
rejoicing
present participle
verb
-
to feel or express great joy or happiness
-
archaic (tr) to cause to feel joy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
rejoicernoun
-
rejoicingnoun
-
prerejoiceverb (used without object)
-
rejoicefuladjective
-
unrejoicedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rejoicesimple
-
rejoicessimple
-
have rejoicedperfect
-
has rejoicedperfect
-
am rejoicingprogressive
-
are rejoicingprogressive
-
is rejoicingprogressive
-
have been rejoicingperfect progressive
-
has been rejoicingperfect progressive
Past
-
rejoicedsimple
-
had rejoicedperfect
-
was rejoicingprogressive
-
were rejoicingprogressive
-
had been rejoicingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing rejoice
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
An old book to revisit: Octavia Butler fans, rejoice!
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Never mind the quality, just rejoice in the qualification?
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Offill predicts a near future in which readers will once again rejoice in epic novels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Suspicious at first, they soon rejoice: Matteo’s getting married!
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
"The father of the right-righteous shall greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wish child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice."
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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
I don’t think you’ll find a hostage family that rejoices in that.
From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2023
Perfect for the late nights, Odyssy’s alluring vocals connect whether he’s singing or rapping, especially as he rejoices that the girl on his mind is messing with a misfit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2023
If you’re someone who rejoices at every sign of fall, you may want to look out at the moon this weekend.
From New York Times ● Sep. 10, 2022
Turner knew that everything in the world rejoices in the touch, and everything in the world laments in the losing.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
"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
Though some Iranians mourned the death of their supreme leader, others rejoiced.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026
Many like Reouani had at first rejoiced at the downpours.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
The men rejoiced as the weather cleared and they had the first good weather of the passage.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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 rejoicing among Liverpool fans when he signed a new two-year contract in April 2025.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
So of course people are going to be rejoicing in the streets.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 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
When the days of rejoicing were over at last the Companions thought of returning to their own homes.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
