praise
Americannoun
-
the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
- Synonyms:
- compliment, approbation, applause, plaudit, acclamation
- Antonyms:
- condemnation
-
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship.
a hymn of praise to God.
-
the state of being approved or admired.
The king lived in praise for many years.
-
Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
-
the act of expressing commendation, admiration, etc
-
the extolling of a deity or the rendering of homage and gratitude to a deity
-
the condition of being commended, admired, etc
-
archaic the reason for praise
-
to commend someone highly
verb
-
to express commendation, admiration, etc, for
-
to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving
Related Words
See approve.
Other Word Forms
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half-praisedadjective
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half-praisingadjective
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outpraiseverb (used with object)
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praisefuladjective
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praisefullyadverb
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praiselessadjective
-
praisernoun
-
repraiseverb (used with object)
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self-praisenoun
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self-praisingadjective
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superpraisenoun
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unpraisedadjective
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unpraisefuladjective
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unpraisingadjective
Etymology
Origin of praise
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb preisen, from Old French preisier “to value, prize,” from Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium “worth, reward” ( see price); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Praise means "admiration or approval," and when you're on the receiving end of it, you feel great. Whether it's used as a verb or a noun, praise means "approval." If you enthusiastically praise your dog, he's likely to wag his tail and expect a treat. What you've given him (in addition to the treat) is praise, the noun. In a religious context, the verb praise is interchangeable with worship, as when a minister says, "Praise God."
Vocabulary lists containing praise
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
Praise be, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has seen a great light—or maybe heard that voters are irate about their winter heating bills.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Praise from the teacher of a creative writing course during his freshman year sparked an interest in screenwriting, and Coogler took film classes while earning a degree in finance.
From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026
Fatboy Slim has become a staple on the UK music festival circuit, with setlists full of crowd-pleasing hits like Praise You, Right Here, Right Now and The Rockafeller Skank.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Praise poured forth from entertainment journalists of every stripe, with some highlighting satire’s importance in fighting fascism.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2025
Tendai had heard Praise Singing described many ways.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
