croon

[ kroon ]

See synonyms for croon on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to sing or hum in a soft, soothing voice: to croon to a baby.
to sing in an evenly modulated, slightly exaggerated manner: Popular singers began crooning in the 1930s.

to utter a low murmuring sound.
Scot. and North England.
- to bellow; low.
- to lament; mourn.

verb (used with object)

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

the act or sound of crooning.

Origin of croon

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cronen, from Middle Dutch: “to lament”

Other words from croon

croon·er, noun
croon·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use croon in a sentence

On ballads like “All You Ever Need,” he croons, “You ask what I like about you/ Ooh, I love it all.”
What Is an ‘Austin Mahone’ and Is It Really Contagious? | Amy Zimmerman | May 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In memory of her late pup, the shock-singer croons a song to giant inflatable replica of him.
Miley Cyrus Pays Bizarre Tribute to Her Dead Dog, Floyd, at a Brooklyn Concert | Marina Watts | April 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“She might move on to rappers, ballplayers, but we all know I hit it first,” Ray J croons.
Ray J’s Not-So-Classy Kim Kardashian Diss Track, “I Hit It First,” About Their Sex Tape Tryst | Marlow Stern | April 6, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
“I coughed and wheezed and cried/in every scene until I died,” the fictional Hathaway croons.
Inside the Anne Hathaway ‘Les Misérables’ Video Spoof That Went Viral | Ramin Setoodeh | January 30, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
“How lovely to be a vegetable,” he croons, quite impressively.
‘American Horror Story’ Sings “The Name Game” and 12 Other Bizarre TV Musical Numbers (VIDEO) | Kevin Fallon | January 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

After a while she croons to herself in a high, broken voice.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays | Various
A mournful chorus of croons from the loons went round the solitude.
Tales of the Chesapeake | George Alfred Townsend
She croons out a long incantation to the goddess, stopping at intervals to call out “Daru,” to attract her attention.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India | Edgar Thurston
From the lonely forest, where the peasant mother croons above the cradle while she knits?
Tea-Table Talk | Jerome K. Jerome
Tom likes nursing Baby immensely, and croons to him in a strange buzzing way which lulls him to sleep invariably.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, April, 1876. | Various

British Dictionary definitions for croon

croon

/ (kruːn) /

verb

to sing or speak in a soft low tone

noun

a soft low singing or humming

Origin of croon

C14: via Middle Dutch crōnen to groan; compare Old High German chrōnan to chatter, Latin gingrīre to cackle (of geese)

Derived forms of croon

crooner, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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