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• singer
  singer

  noun

  a person who sings, especially a trained or professional vocalist.
• Singer
  Singer

  noun

  Isaac Bashevis 1904–91, U.S. novelist and short-story writer (in Yiddish), born in Poland: Nobel Prize 1978.

singer

¹ American  

[sing-er] / ˈsɪŋ ər /

noun

1. a person who sings, especially a trained or professional vocalist.

2. a poet.

3. a singing bird.

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singer ² American  

[sin-jer] / ˈsɪn dʒər /

noun

1. a person or thing that singes.

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Singer ³ American  

[sing-er] / ˈsɪŋ ər /

noun

1. Isaac Bashevis 1904–91, U.S. novelist and short-story writer (in Yiddish), born in Poland: Nobel Prize 1978.

2. Isaac Merrit 1811–75, U.S. inventor.

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singer ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪŋə /

noun

1. a person who sings, esp one who earns a living by singing

2. a singing bird

3. an obsolete word for poet

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Singer ² British  

/ ˈsɪŋə /

noun

1. Isaac Bashevis. 1904–91, US writer of Yiddish novels and short stories; born in Poland. His works include Satan in Goray (1935), The Family Moscat (1950), the autobiographical In my Father's Court (1966), and The King of the Fields (1989): Nobel prize for literature 1978

2. Isaac Merrit. 1811–75, US inventor, who originated and developed an improved chain-stitch sewing machine (1852)

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Etymology

Origin of singer¹

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at sing, -er ¹

Origin of singer²

First recorded in 1870–75; singe + -er ¹

Explanation

A singer makes music with their voice. A singer may sing the lyrics, or words, of a song, or may just vocalize sounds like "la, la, la" or "tweet, tweet, tweet" in musical tones. Singing is one of the oldest forms of musical expression. A singer may perform on stage for thousands of adoring fans, or for guests at an intimate wedding reception. Perhaps you are a singer who likes to sing in the shower or croon along with a recording of your favorite artist. There are pop singers, rock singers, and opera singers. Some singers have high-pitched, soprano voices, while others sing in lower-pitched, tenor voices. Many birds, known as songbirds, are singers, and so are some whales!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

singer Singer

Hayden Panettiere, the former child actor who became a household name as an indestructible cheerleader on “Heroes” before starring as a troubled country singer on “Nashville,” has died.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Veteran folk singer Neil Martin said nobody during the Troubles would have "thought it would have been safe".

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

Each year, the Grammy-winning singer curates itineraries for different locations across the globe for her listeners to follow.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Some threw flowers onto the hearse carrying her coffin, which was draped in the Welsh flag and accompanied by a framed photograph of the singer.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The best solution was to become a singer and leave the instruments to other people.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

“For a nonprofit agency, that is a tall order,” Singer said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

During closing arguments, prosecutor Linda Singer told jurors that Meta's algorithms had directed adults toward content posted by teenage users while the company concealed internal findings about the risks to young people.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

Mark Singer, Funny Money, a great example of how people see what they want to see in pursuit of investments and neglect to do even basic due diligence, which leads to eventual financial ruin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

“We ask that no one rush to judgment based on limited information,” said the statement, issued by family spokesperson Sam Singer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

Once a week they would go to the library for Singer to withdraw a mystery book and on Friday night they attended a movie.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Related Words

• artist
• crooner
• diva
• musician
• soloist
• vocalist
• voice