rejoice
Americanverb (used without object)
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rejoices,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejoiced,
past participle, past
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rejoicing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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rejoices,
present (3rd person singular)
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rejoiced,
past participle, past
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rejoicing
present participle
verb
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to feel or express great joy or happiness
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archaic (tr) to cause to feel joy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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rejoicernoun
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rejoicingnoun
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prerejoiceverb (used without object)
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rejoicefuladjective
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unrejoicedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rejoicesimple
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rejoicessimple
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have rejoicedperfect
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has rejoicedperfect
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am rejoicingprogressive
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are rejoicingprogressive
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is rejoicingprogressive
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have been rejoicingperfect progressive
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has been rejoicingperfect progressive
Past
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rejoicedsimple
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had rejoicedperfect
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was rejoicingprogressive
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were rejoicingprogressive
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had been rejoicingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rejoice
1275–1325; Middle English rejoicen < Old French rejouiss-, long stem of rejouir, equivalent to re- re- + jouir to rejoice; see joy
Explanation
To rejoice is to be incredibly happy, or to express your incredible happiness. If you just won millions in the lottery, you might rejoice by screaming at the top of your lungs. When you rejoice, you celebrate or feel extreme happiness. You might rejoice after scoring the winning goal in a championship game, or you might rejoice when you receive an amazing gift on your birthday. You’ll often hear this word in the phrase “let us rejoice,” especially in some religious settings.
Vocabulary lists containing rejoice
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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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:
Offill predicts a near future in which readers will once again rejoice in epic novels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
"You rejoice and cry, and you tremble inside from the emotion -- seeing those eyes that are both sad and joyful and filled with tears," she told AFP during a recent prisoner exchange.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
"I'm so glad it happened. To be able to heal, reflect, rejoice."
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
When the Prodigal Son’s older brother is bothered about the feast, his father tells him to rejoice in his brother’s return.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025
Although we would benefit from his absence, we did not rejoice at his death.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
As energy bills soar elsewhere in the world, "Our property manager has announced a 20 percent reduction in heating and hot water bills for 2026 and 2027," rejoices the 69-year-old retiree.
From Barron's ● Apr. 24, 2026
“My heart breaks for my brother who’s no longer with us but it rejoices knowing he’s with his fellow warriors in Valhalla drinking and fighting with Odin,” she wrote in another post on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
I don’t think you’ll find a hostage family that rejoices in that.
From Slate ● Dec. 16, 2023
Francis, 86, quoted from a writings of the Buddha that says "the wise man rejoices in giving", noting it was similar to Jesus' saying "It is more blessed to give than to receive".
From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2023
Every human culture rejoices in the fact that there are cycles in nature.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
"The theory not only reproduces the experiment but also provides the basis for guiding future discoveries in this system," rejoiced Schiró.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
The cohort of mostly 70-something players in the dugout rejoiced, waving their caps and hollering.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Machete in hand, Romee resident Jean-Paul Bitilaongi rejoiced at their successful bid to keep the forest out of reach of the "rich people" he says are trying to plunder it.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Last year, the Montclair, N.J.-based creative director rejoiced when she agreed to let him arrange a Lego winter village on their mantel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025
She spoke in anguish, but Jason rejoiced and raised her gently and embraced her, and promised her she would be his own wedded wife when once they were back in Greece.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Later in the game, Cleveland’s José Ramírez was seen in the dugout apparently imitating Yan’s airborne style of rejoicing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Market participants are rejoicing as they head into the weekend.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
So of course people are going to be rejoicing in the streets.
From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2026
When they're rejoicing in this kind of performance, the place shakes.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
She didn’t want Diana to think she was rejoicing in her absence, but she was not skilled at feigning feelings she did not own.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
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.
