extol
Americanverb (used with object)
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extols,
present (3rd person singular)
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extolled,
past participle, past
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extolling
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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extollernoun
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extollmentnoun
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extolmentnoun
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superextolverb (used with object)
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superextollverb (used with object)
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extollinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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extolsimple
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extolssimple
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have extolledperfect
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has extolledperfect
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am extollingprogressive
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are extollingprogressive
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is extollingprogressive
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have been extollingperfect progressive
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has been extollingperfect progressive
Past
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extolledsimple
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had extolledperfect
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was extollingprogressive
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were extollingprogressive
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had been extollingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
Also, I am afraid your columns do not sufficiently extol the value of work, which Voltaire rightly claimed protects us from the evils of boredom, vice, and poverty.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
So what is the name of this dish to which I so lavishly extol this multitude of virtues?
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026
In a statement Monday, Melvin Benn, managing director of Festival Republic, the company behind the London festival, said Ye isn’t being given “a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
That’s because after DJ Khaled and Kenan Thompson extol the virtues of this miracle drug, a voiceover recounts a litany of potential side effects—vomiting, diarrhea, kidney problems, things of that nature.
From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026
I could extol your virtues endlessly, but I want you to finish reading and answer me quickly.
From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine
García Harfuch regularly extols his relationship with the armed forces, despite rumors of resentment against his sweeping powers and his closeness to Sheinbaum.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2025
Like many children of his time, he was “raised almost exclusively on a diet of white sugar,” the glories of which he extols for several merry pages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
Barrett extols a judge’s obligation to “resolve disputes according to the ground rules that the people have prescribed,” but that responsibility is meaningless in the absence of reliable evidence.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025
The first Swedish-language entry since 2012, the song extols the practice's stress-busting virtues.
From BBC ● May 16, 2025
He reassures Pa and Ma about Vincent, and he extols their virtues to Vincent.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
Gov. Gavin Newsom extolled free school meals, universal transitional kindergarten and other accomplishments in his tenure in California, a period marked by over $100 billion in increased spending.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
It extolled “the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
I have extolled the virtues of both of these lessons in my columns over the years.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
In that same evening address, President Trump extolled the US's oil producing capabilities.
From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026
He extolled the bounty of New England to Thomas Dermer, one of Smith’s subordinates, who was then staying in the same camp.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
On social media, vacationers are showing off their “pharmacy hauls” from across the continent, extolling the virtues of E.U.-made creams and serums and turning drugstores into can’t-miss destinations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The video prominently featured Zach Witkoff and two of the president’s sons, Don Jr. and Eric, extolling the success of their company.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
I had spent the past couple of weeks corresponding with Raw Farm founder Mark McAfee, who’d filled my inbox with messages and PowerPoints extolling the virtues of his most important, and controversial, product:
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Saylor has been anxious to promote the preferred stock, extolling its high-yield/ low volatility returns.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 16, 2026
Swoony, respectful, smart, kind, passionate...It was still extolling Sahil’s many, many virtues when he said, “Thanks.”
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
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.
