singsong

[ sing-sawng, -song ]

See synonyms for: singsong singsongs on Thesaurus.com

noun

verse, or a piece of verse, that is monotonously jingly in rhythm and pattern of pitch.
monotonous rhythmical cadence, tone, or sound.

British. an unrehearsed singing of well-known songs by an audience or other informal, untrained group; a community sing.

adjective

monotonous in rhythm and in pitch.

Origin of singsong

First recorded in 1600–10; sing + song

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use singsong in a sentence

She sits up tall and strikes up her one-man band of sing-song sound.
When An Adopted Child Won’t Attach | Tina Traster | May 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Qari spent weeks sitting on his cot reciting in a sing-song chant the entire Quran.
U.S. Must Show It Respects Quran and Its Importance to Afghans | Jere Van Dyk | February 28, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
“He has that sing-song quality to his voice, a melody to it,” Odenkirk says.
Breaking Bad's Scene-Stealing Dirtbag | Josh Gajewski | May 26, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Eyes on the magazine, Sebatacheck goes back to his sing-song voice.
127,032 Years In Purgatory | Ethan Coen | April 10, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
The chanting must have been much like the sing-song that some people fall into when reading verses now.
English: Composition and Literature | W. F. (William Franklin) Webster

In a loud sing-song jabber they are repeating something which they read off the slates they hold in front of them.
Round the Wonderful World | G. E. Mitton
He was swearing mechanically, in a sing-song voice, as the blood seeped through each fresh turn of cotton.
Cursed | George Allan England
When there is very great and regular or monotonous variation of pitch in a voice, we call it a "sing-song."
The Sounds of Spoken English | Walter Rippmann
Wasula laughed, in spite of herself, the sing-song laugh of the wild maid of the woods.
Red Hunters And the Animal People | Charles A. Eastman

British Dictionary definitions for singsong

singsong

/ (ˈsɪŋˌsɒŋ) /

noun

an accent, metre, or intonation that is characterized by an alternately rising and falling rhythm, as in a person's voice, piece of verse, etc
British an informal session of singing, esp of popular or traditional songs

adjective

having a regular or monotonous rising and falling rhythm: a singsong accent

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

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