singsong
Americannoun
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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
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an informal session of singing, esp of popular or traditional songs
adjective
Etymology
Origin of singsong
Explanation
Anything that's singsong has a musical sound. Kindergarten teachers are generally good at saying things like, "Everybody put your coats on for recess," in a singsong voice. A child will fall asleep easily listening to his dad's singsong reading of a bedtime story; and the singsong call of her master will catch a dog's attention at the dog park. Singsong means just what it sounds like, a rhythmic, chanting kind of almost-singing. In some parts of the world, it's also the same as a singalong, or group song. An earlier meaning, from the 17th century, was "a jingling ballad."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In walk-and-talk videos, he used Trump’s singsong cadences to freestyle on pop culture topics from Scooby-Doo to Weird Al Yankovic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2025
“When I think about things, I kind of convert them into cartoon characters,” explained Shilling in her cheerful, singsong voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025
A rabbi led a singsong chant calling for “no more war” and “cease-fire now” and offered a prayer for peace in Hebrew and English.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2024
The Frankenstein patchwork of his face has echoes of Alasdair Gray's chiselled artwork and he uses the same gentle accent and singsong voice as Gray himself.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2024
Todd speaks very rapidly in a singsong cadence, suggesting that he does this several times a day.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
