singsong

[ sing-sawng, -song ]

/ ˈsɪŋˌsɔŋ, -ˌsɒŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR singsong 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.

Nearby words

singleton, singletrack, singletree, singlish, singly, singsong, singspiel, singular, singular point, singularity, singularize

Origin of singsong

First recorded in 1600–10; sing + song

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sing-song

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|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|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|DAILY BEAST
Eyes on the magazine, Sebatacheck goes back to his sing-song voice.
127,032 Years In Purgatory|Ethan Coen|April 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST

It must be sing-song, though, kind of gettin' into her head like quinine.
The Soldier of the Valley|Nelson Lloyd
Outside in the passage the clerk began a sing-song monologue.
Lady Lilith|Stephen McKenna
The mullah stood over the baby and read out of this Koran in a loud, sing-song voice.
Our Little Persian Cousin|E. Cutler Shedd
“Aliqui—aliquare—aliqua,” recited Teeter in a sing-song declension voice.
Baseball Joe on the School Nine|Lester Chadwick
The toned words are a great trouble to foreigners who are not accustomed to a "sing-song" form of speech.
The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe|Ernest Young

British Dictionary definitions for sing-song

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 rhythma 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