verb (used without object), re·joiced, re·joic·ing. to be glad; take delight (often followed by in ): to rejoice in another's happiness.
verb (used with object), re·joiced, re·joic·ing. to make joyful; gladden: a song to rejoice the heart.
Origin of rejoice 1275–1325; Middle English rejoicen <
Old French rejouiss-, long stem of
rejouir, equivalent to
re- re- +
jouir to rejoice; see
joy Related forms re·joice·ful , adjective re·joic·er , noun pre·re·joice , verb (used without object), pre·re·joiced, pre·re·joic·ing. un·re·joiced , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Related Words for rejoice in admire ,
appreciate ,
love ,
inhale ,
exhaust ,
absorb ,
ravage ,
ingest ,
gobble ,
destroy ,
eat ,
like ,
savor ,
relish ,
exclaim ,
prize ,
dig ,
fancy ,
adore ,
esteem British Dictionary definitions for rejoice in verb (when tr, takes a clause as object or an infinitive ; when intr , often foll by in ) to feel or express great joy or happiness
(tr) archaic to cause to feel joy
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Derived Forms rejoicer , noun rejoicing , noun Word Origin for rejoice C14: from Old French resjoir , from re- + joir to be glad, from Latin gaudēre to rejoice
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for rejoice in v. c.1300, "to own, possess, enjoy the possession of, have the fruition of," from Old French rejoiss- , present participle stem of rejoir , resjoir "gladden, rejoice," from re- , which here is of obscure signification, perhaps an intensive (see re- ), + joir "be glad," from Latin gaudere "rejoice" (see joy ).
Originally sense in to rejoice in . Meaning "to be full of joy" is recorded from late 14c. Middle English also used simple verb joy "to feel gladness; to rejoice" (mid-13c.) and rejoy (early 14c.). Related: Rejoiced ; rejoicing .
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with rejoice in Have or possess something highly desirable, as in He rejoices in a keen mind . [Late 1400s]
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
