croon
Americanverb (used without object)
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croons,
present (3rd person singular)
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crooned,
past participle, past
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crooning
present participle
verb (used with object)
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croons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crooned,
past participle, past
-
crooning
present participle
-
to sing (a song) in a crooning manner.
-
to lull by singing or humming to in a soft, soothing voice.
to croon a child to sleep.
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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croonsimple
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croonssimple
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have croonedperfect
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has croonedperfect
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am crooningprogressive
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are crooningprogressive
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is crooningprogressive
-
have been crooningperfect progressive
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has been crooningperfect progressive
Past
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croonedsimple
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had croonedperfect
-
was crooningprogressive
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were crooningprogressive
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had been crooningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of croon
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cronen, from Middle Dutch: “to lament”
Explanation
To croon is to sing a soft or emotional song. A father might croon a lullaby to his baby as she falls asleep. Elvis Presley was known to croon to the ladies. The verb croon is originally a Scottish word, from the Middle Dutch root kronen, "to lament or mourn." When you croon, you hum or sing in a soft, low voice, like your heart is breaking. You might croon to your child or sweetheart, or maybe you croon in the shower. In the 1930s and 40s, a "crooner" was a singer who was known for specializing in sentimental jazz songs.
Vocabulary lists containing croon
"The People Could Fly," Vocabulary from the folk tale
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The Devil's Arithmetic
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"The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes
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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:
Kuo would croon standards like “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
More recent interpreters underline the song’s vast reach, from Harolyn Blackwell’s operatic radiance and Norah Jones’s hushed Tanglewood version to Kenny Barron’s pensive piano meditation and Willie Nelson’s weathered country croon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
There are several performance scenes that showcase Madekwe’s ability to croon in a convincing limber lilt but little engagement with his actual music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” felt like a gentle croon as compared to the frantic desperation of the original, but still felt decisive.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2025
As dangerous as the Chimaera, and as rare, the Manticore is reputed to croon softly as it devours its prey.
From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling
The eight-minute “Actress” is an aural trip that croons of a lazy wannabe-actress, before it climbs to rocking, triumphal heights with a soaring string section.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Now, as I ride through Koreatown, Alicia Keys croons, “Everything’s gonna be all right.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
"Mining gold from deepest dirt. But souls are rich and true," croons an AI-generated Rihanna in one recent song, pouring her silky, auto-tuned praise on Capt Traoré.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2025
Teaming up with Oscar Maydon of “Tu Boda” fame, the pair croons about showering their lover with gifts, money and designer brands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
"Come here, Cuca," she croons, taking the baby from Fifi's hands.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Last summer, a viral Tiktoker crooned, “I’m looking for a man in finance, trust fund, six-five, blue eyes,” turning spreadsheet warriors into the season’s most eligible bachelors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
Diplomatic wheels, it seemed, were in motion, even as the lack of detail left many around the world with suspicious minds, as Elvis once crooned.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
They have crooned to covers of Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter, danced in the style of K-pop stars and pretended to have beef with other boy bands—and Katy Perry, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
TVs across the state blared what became known as the “banjo ad,” in which a country singer crooned that Newby would bring “justice tough but fair.”
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025
"You can be president, you were born here," the grandfather crooned.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
For many, the waterfront that Lebanese singer Fairouz immortalised in 1961 -- crooning about "the coast of Alexandria, coast of love" -- is no more.
From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026
The label is fitting in part on a literal level because Gunn ends his movie on Superman’s smiling face with the song “Punkrocker,” which features Iggy Pop crooning, “I’m a punkrocker, yes I am.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
No amount of Kate Bush’s heroic crooning will save them.
From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2025
The tour comes hot on the heels of Gaga's latest album, Mayhem, widely regarded as a return to high-concept pop after a spell of method acting and jazz crooning.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2025
She worked quickly, crooning as she moved about.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
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.
