extol
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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superextolverb (used with object)
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extollernoun
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superextollverb (used with object)
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extollmentnoun
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extolmentnoun
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extollinglyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have extolledperfect
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has extolledperfect 3rd person singular
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am extollingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been extollingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been extollingperfect progressive
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is extollingprogressive 3rd person singular
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extollingparticiple
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are extollingprogressive
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extolssingular 3rd person
Past
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had extolledperfect
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was extollingprogressive singular
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extolledsimple
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had been extollingperfect progressive
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were extollingprogressive plural
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extolledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of extol
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English extollen, from Latin extollere “to lift up, raise,” equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + tollere “to lift, raise up”
Explanation
If you have a crush on a guy who likes your best friend, it can be very depressing to listen to him extol your friend's virtues, while you just nod and smile. If you extol something, you praise it very highly. The Bible says: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven..." Nebuchadnezzar II was king of the second Babylonian Empire, the one who sent the Jews into exile. In some translations of the Bible, the word honor is replaced with glorify. Praise, extol, honor, glorify all mean about the same. The use of multiple synonymous words in a given sentence is a frequent motif in the Bible.
Vocabulary lists containing extol
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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.
Extol the wonders of the program, he said.
From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2013
Extol, eks-tol′, v.t. to magnify: to praise:—pr.p. extolling; pa.p. extolled′.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
Extol him to the clouds and to the stars we will, but not now; for lo! where another great name beckons!
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 353, March 1845 by Various
Towards him they bend With awful reverence prone, and as a God Extol him equal to the Highest in Heaven.
From Paradise Lost by Milton, John
Meantime proceed to fill the people's ears With false reports, their minds with panic fears: Extol the strength of a twice-conquer'd race; Our foes encourage, and our friends debase.
From The Aeneid English by Virgil
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.
