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
Synonym Usage
See approve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
unpraisedadjective
-
half-praisedadjective
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outpraiseverb (used with object)
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superpraisenoun
-
praiselessadjective
-
unpraisingadjective
-
half-praisingadjective
-
self-praisenoun
-
praisefullyadverb
-
praisernoun
-
self-praisingadjective
-
unpraisefuladjective
-
praisefuladjective
-
repraiseverb (used with object)
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has praisedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have praisedperfect
-
have been praisingperfect progressive
-
is praisingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
praisessingular 3rd person
-
am praisingprogressive 1st person singular
-
has been praisingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
praisingparticiple
-
are praisingprogressive
Past
-
had praisedperfect
-
was praisingprogressive singular
-
had been praisingperfect progressive
-
praisedparticiple
-
praisedsimple
-
were praisingprogressive plural
Future
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.
Thayil’s memoir will absolutely encourage readers to listen again, or listen deeper, or even listen for the first time, and that’s really the highest praise you can give a rock and roll memoir.
From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026
Expectation has followed Andreeva ever since her WTA Tour breakthrough at the 2023 Madrid Open, where her talent and fearlessness led to praise from Britain's former world number one Andy Murray.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Analysts praise ServiceTitan’s AI integration, particularly its Max program, and boos their price targets on the stock.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
There is also praise for her husband’s administration and its accomplishments: “That’s something I worry people may have forgotten in all that came after,” she writes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
“I will read from my book now,” said Beowulf eagerly, for all of the children dearly loved praise.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
