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• laud
  laud

  verb (used with object)

  to praise; extol.
• Laud
  Laud

  noun

  William, 1573–1645, archbishop of Canterbury and opponent of Puritanism: executed for treason.

laud

¹ American  

[lawd] / lɔd /

verb (used with object)

1. to praise; extol.

   Synonyms:

   honor, applaud

   Antonyms:

   censure

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noun

1. a song or hymn of praise.

2. (used with a singular or plural verb) lauds, a canonical hour, marked especially by psalms of praise, usually recited with matins.

Laud ² American  

[lawd] / lɔd /

noun

1. William, 1573–1645, archbishop of Canterbury and opponent of Puritanism: executed for treason.

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laud ¹ British  

/ lɔːd /

verb

1. (tr) to praise or glorify

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noun

1. praise or glorification

Laud ² British  

/ lɔːd /

noun

1. William. 1573–1645, English prelate; archbishop of Canterbury (1633–45). His persecution of Puritans and his High Church policies in England and Scotland were a cause of the Civil War; he was impeached by the Long Parliament (1640) and executed

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Other Word Forms

• laudator
  noun
• lauder
  noun
• overlaud
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of laud

First recorded in 1300–50; (verb) Middle English lauden, from Latin laudāre “to praise,” derivative of laus (stem laud- ) “praise”; (noun) Middle English laude, back formation from laudes (plural), from Late Latin, special use of plural of Latin laus “praise”

Explanation

To laud someone means to praise them extravagantly — usually in a very public manner. A music critic might laud a new song by calling it the best summer anthem ever created. The word laud is from the Latin word laudere, meaning "to praise.” To laud someone is to glorify them, or to sing their praises, even if you’re not actually singing. Movie reviewers might laud Oscar-nominated films, and your high school principal might laud the class valedictorian at graduation.

Example Sentences

Howling Laud Hope is in his 80s - are there any thoughts of retirement?

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2023

Others backed up this claim, including Twitter user David Laud who says he was approached for money by the account.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2018

If Margaret Catchpole had never set eyes on smuggler Will Laud, she would have probably married a ploughman, conceived a brood of children and died in her bed on her beloved Suffolk soil.

From The Guardian • Jul. 1, 2012

Alastair Cording's play tells the tale of Margaret, a Suffolk lass who becomes a nursemaid to the rich Cobbold family but who falls for the charms of the smuggler, Will Laud.

From The Guardian • Jun. 15, 2012

The caricaturists pursued Laud and Strafford even to the scaffold.

From Caricature and Other Comic Art in all Times and many Lands. by Parton, James

Related Words

• admire
• adore
• celebrate
• commend
• compliment
• eulogize
• extol
• honor
• revere