hallelujah
Americaninterjection
noun
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hallelujahs
plural
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an exclamation of “hallelujah!”
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a shout of joy, praise, or gratitude.
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a musical composition wholly or principally based upon the word “hallelujah.”
interjection
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an exclamation of praise to God
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an expression of relief or a similar emotion
noun
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an exclamation of "Hallelujah"
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a musical composition that uses the word Hallelujah as its text
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hallelujah
First recorded in 1525–35; from Hebrew halĕlûyāh “praise Yahweh,” from halĕlû (masculine imperative plural of hīlēl “to praise”) + -yāh Yahweh
Explanation
Hallelujah is both an exclamation –- Hallelujah! –- and what that act of exclaiming is called. When hallelujahs ring through the church, a lot of people are yelling "hallelujah!" Kind of like "bingo!" in the church basement. Hallelujah came into English through Latin and Greek, but originally comes from Hebrew, where it means "praise the lord." In spite of traveling through those languages, hallelujah's meaning has not changed. Remember that the "j" in hallelujah is pronounced like a "y."
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:
"Hallelujah, hallelujah," sang a group of volunteers in yellow t-shirts.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Weintraub stares blankly, Wiatt stifles a yawn, and I can’t get a clear read on Wirtschafter, though he’s not screaming hallelujah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
It allowed me to sing hallelujah in the Lenten season,” referring to the run-up to Easter.
From Salon ● Mar. 22, 2025
Allahu Akbar means God is great – the Muslim equivalent of hallelujah.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2024
And she went behind the candy counter and hummed, “Glory, glory, hallelujah, when I lay my burden down.”
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
And, as the hoarse hallelujahs from their fans illustrated, the Lakers now have some new magic of their own.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2023
“Celia” is named after Savage’s mother, and the album ends with “Celia’s Song,” praising her with churchy hallelujahs.
From New York Times ● Sep. 7, 2020
As if they wouldn’t have already been awakened by the accumulation of floor-shaking drum blasts and the choir’s crescendoing hallelujahs.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2019
Franklin’s funeral was unapologetically black: ringing oratory from a rainbow of celebrities, friends, family members and preachers’ amens and hallelujahs caroming off the rafters of Detroit’s Greater Grace Temple.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 31, 2018
And then the screaming and the hallelujahs broke out.
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions 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.
