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sing

[ sing ]

/ sɪŋ /

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verb (used without object), sang

[sang] /sæŋ/ or, often, sung

[suhng]; /sʌŋ/; sung; sing·ing.

to utter words or sounds in succession with musical modulations of the voice; vocalize melodically.

to perform a song or voice composition: She promised to sing for us.

to produce melodious sounds, usually high in pitch, as certain birds, insects, etc.: The nightingale sang in the tree.

to compose poetry: Keats sang briefly but gloriously.

to tell about or praise someone or something in verse or song: He sang of the warrior's prowess.

to admit of being sung, as verses: This lyric sings well.

to give out a continuous ringing, whistling, murmuring, burbling, or other euphonious sound, as a teakettle or a brook.

to make a short whistling, ringing, or whizzing sound: The bullet sang past his ear.

(of an electrical amplifying system) to produce an undesired self-sustained oscillation.

to have the sensation of a ringing or humming sound, as the ears.

Slang. to confess or act as an informer; squeal.

verb (used with object), sang

[sang] /sæŋ/ or, often, sung

[suhng]; /sʌŋ/; sung; sing·ing.

to utter with musical modulations of the voice, as a song.

to escort or accompany with singing.

to proclaim enthusiastically.

to bring, send, put, etc., with or by singing: She sang the baby to sleep.

to chant or intone: to sing mass.

to tell or praise in verse or song.

noun

the act or performance of singing.

a gathering or meeting of persons for the purpose of singing: a community sing.

a singing, ringing, or whistling sound, as of a bullet.

Verb Phrases

sing out, Informal. to call in a loud voice; shout: They lost their way in the cavern and sang out for help.

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Origin of sing

First recorded before 900; Middle English singen, Old English singan; cognate with Dutch zingen, German singen, Old Norse syngva, Gothic siggwan

OTHER WORDS FROM sing

sing·a·ble, adjectivesing·a·bil·i·ty, sing·a·ble·ness, nounsing·ing·ly, adverbmis·sing, verb, mis·sang, mis·sung, mis·sing·ing.

un·sing·a·ble, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sing

1. sign, sing 2. singeing, singing

Words nearby sing

sinewy, Sinfjotli, sinfonia, sinfonietta, sinful, sing, sing a different tune, sing-along, Singapore, Singaporean, Singapore sling

Other definitions for sing (2 of 2)

sing.

abbreviation

singular.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use sing in a sentence

I still do find it a tremendously useful device to invent a character and have the character sing the song.
Belle & Sebastian Aren’t So Shy Anymore|James Joiner|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By the time it concluded with a sing-a-long of “XO,” Beyoncé had done the rare thing.
Bow Down, Bitches: How Beyoncé Turned an Elevator Brawl Into a Perfect Year|Kevin Fallon|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yep, the song the Whos sing in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He could sing Beatles songs with as much authenticity as the Liverpool lads themselves—and sometimes with even more fervor.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

We sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells”.
Congress’ Gift That Keeps on Giving|P. J. O’Rourke|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strive to speak or sing fluently without breaking the quality of tone used.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
While half of Christendom sing “On earth peace, good will toward men,” the other half sing, “On earth peace to men of good will.”
Solomon and Solomonic Literature|Moncure Daniel Conway
I suppose the hammer falls back more slowly from the string, and that makes the tone sing longer.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
He sat down and played it phrase by phrase, pausing between each measure, to let it "sing."
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Flocks of birds seemed to sing through the air, striking against the telegraph wires.
A Lost Hero|Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward

British Dictionary definitions for sing (1 of 2)

sing

/ (sɪŋ) /

verb sings, singing, sang or sung

to produce or articulate (sounds, words, a song, etc) with definite and usually specific musical intonation

(when intr, often foll by to) to perform (a song) to the accompaniment (of)to sing to a guitar

(intr foll by of) to tell a story or tale in song (about)I sing of a maiden

(intr foll by to) to address a song (to) or perform a song (for)

(intr) to perform songs for a living, as a professional singer

(intr) (esp of certain birds and insects) to utter calls or sounds reminiscent of music

(when intr, usually foll by of) to tell (something) or give praise (to someone), esp in versethe poet who sings of the Trojan dead

(intr) to make a whining, ringing, or whistling soundthe kettle is singing; the arrow sang past his ear

(intr) (of the ears) to experience a continuous ringing or humming sound

(tr) (esp in church services) to chant or intone (a prayer, psalm, etc)

(tr) to bring to a given state by singingto sing a child to sleep

(intr) slang, mainly US to confess or act as an informer

(intr) Australian (in Aboriginal witchcraft) to bring about a person's death by incantation. The same power can sometimes be used beneficently

noun

informal an act or performance of singing

a ringing or whizzing sound, as of bullets

See also sing along, sing out

Derived forms of sing

singable, adjectivesinging, adjective, noun

Word Origin for sing

Old English singan; related to Old Norse syngja to sing, Gothic siggwan, Old High German singan

undefined sing

British Dictionary definitions for sing (2 of 2)

sing.

abbreviation for

singular

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012