sing
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- sing out, Informal. to call in a loud voice; shout: They lost their way in the cavern and sang out for help.
Origin of sing
sing.
Related Words for sing
serenade, chant, warble, whistle, shout, croon, hum, wait, intone, talk, solo, descant, resound, hymn, purr, vocalize, harmonize, troll, groan, chirpExamples from the Web for sing
Contemporary Examples of sing
Yep, the song the Whos sing in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
He could sing Beatles songs with as much authenticity as the Liverpool lads themselves—and sometimes with even more fervor.
We sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells”.
And there are few songs more wonderful to hear her sing than “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
The Biggest Bombs of 2014: ‘Sex Tape,’ Mariah Carey’s Vocals, ‘How I Met Your Mother’ and MoreKevin Fallon
December 19, 2014
The actress shows she can sing, dance, and act - and that she should have gotten the part.
Watch Jane Krakowski's Secret Peter Pan Live! Audition TapeJack Holmes, The Daily Beast Video
December 2, 2014
Historical Examples of sing
They were never allowed to learn any liberal art, or to sing manly songs.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
Shall I sing the chorus now or would you prefer to hear it later.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton CampusJessie Graham Flower
"Sing the song you gave us the other night at our house," he said carelessly.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Coax him to let you teach him—and bear with him if he should sing out of tune.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
Her mother thought she had never heard her sing so splendidly before.
Weighed and WantingGeorge MacDonald
sing
- 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
- informal an act or performance of singing
- a ringing or whizzing sound, as of bullets
Word Origin for sing
xref
sing.
- singular
Word Origin and History for sing
Old English singan "to chant, sing, celebrate, or tell in song," also used of birds (class III strong verb; past tense sang, past participle sungen), from Proto-Germanic *sengwan (cf. Old Saxon singan, Old Frisian sionga, Middle Dutch singhen, Dutch zingen, Old High German singan, German singen, Gothic siggwan, Old Norse syngva, Swedish sjunga), from PIE root *sengwh- "to sing, make an incantation." The criminal slang sense of "to confess to authorities" is attested from 1610s.
No related forms in other languages, unless perhaps it is connected to Greek omphe "voice" (especially of a god), "oracle;" and Welsh dehongli "explain, interpret." The typical Indo-European root is represented by Latin canere (see chant (v.)). Other words meaning "sing" derive from roots meaning "cry, shout," but Irish gaibim is literally "take, seize," with sense evolution via "take up" a song or melody.
"act of singing," especially collective, 1850, from sing (v.).