crooner

American  

[kroo-ner] / ˈkru nər /

noun

• crooners
  plural

1. a popular singer who sings in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner.

   He was the kind of soulful, rockabilly-influenced crooner you might catch playing a place like the Liquor Lounge, and he reminded me of both Sinatra and Elvis.

2. someone who sings.

   In karaoke, even the least talented crooner has a chance to aim for that big moment in the spotlight.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crooners
  plural

Etymology

Origin of crooner

croon ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

A crooner is a singer, especially a man who sings jazz standards. Frank Sinatra was a well-known crooner. The noun crooner describes a silky-voiced singer of sentimental jazz favorites, particularly a male singer. Crooners were especially popular from the late 1920s until the early 1950s. The increased use of microphones and radio broadcasting made it possible for crooners to sing softly and emotionally even when backed by a band. The rise of rock n roll helped bring the era of the crooner to an end. Crooner comes from the verb croon, "to sing softly and sadly."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crooner crooners

Days after Barry Manilow canceled two of his Las Vegas residency dates, the acclaimed crooner says he’s taking a much-needed break on the heels of a busy summer tour.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

By spending 19 non-consecutive weeks at the top of the UK singles chart, it overtakes the record set by American crooner Frankie Laine with his track I Believe, in 1953.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Billy Idol, chanteuse Sade, metal legends Iron Maiden and Manchester outfits Joy Division and New Order were also honored, along with hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan and velvet-voiced crooner Luther Vandross.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

For those who think of late-career Elvis Presley as only a plump has-been, a gaudy Las Vegas crooner slinging schlock in the 1970s, Baz Luhrmann’s new movie is a bracing corrective.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026

While he attended the races at Tanforan with Bing Crosby, the crooner found himself abandoned as fans and autograph-seekers smothered Howard.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Ms. Willetts devotes nearly an entire chapter—ostensibly on postwar nightlife in Las Vegas and Havana—to Frank Sinatra, head of America’s Rat Pack of lounge crooners and the “kingpin of ‘gentlemanly’ debauchery.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

But Oona and her friends aren't the only ones under the spell of the demon-busting crooners.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2026

Springer added that he prefers classic crooners, such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, to Bublé.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 24, 2025

The early years of crooners and ballads gave way to perky pop – epitomized by perhaps the greatest Eurovision song of all time, ABBA’s “Waterloo,” which won the contest 50 years ago.

From Seattle Times ● May 9, 2024

“At odd hours of the night, Roscoe’s hops with hip-hop gangstas and old-time crooners, funkateers and exponents of new-jack swing, athletes and bodyguards,” Gold wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

Related Words

• artist
• diva
• musician
• soloist
• vocalist
• voice