a short metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad.
a musical piece adapted for singing or simulating a piece to be sung.
Mendelssohn's “Songs without Words.”
poetical composition; poetry.
the art or act of singing; vocal music.
something that is sung.
an elaborate vocal signal produced by an animal, as the distinctive sounds produced by certain birds, frogs, etc., in a courtship or territorial display.
a dynasty in China, a.d. 960–1279, characterized by a high level of achievement in painting, ceramics, and philosophy: overthrown by the Mongols. Also Sung
Ailing Ai-ling Soong.
Qingling Ching-ling Soong.
Meiling Mei-ling Soong.
Ziwen Tse-ven Soong.
a piece of music, usually employing a verbal text, composed for the voice, esp one intended for performance by a soloist
the whole repertory of such pieces
( as modifier )
a song book
poetical composition; poetry
the characteristic tuneful call or sound made by certain birds or insects
the act or process of singing
they raised their voices in song
at a bargain price
informal performing at peak efficiency or ability
First recorded before 900; Middle English song, sang, Old English; cognate with German Sang, Old Norse sǫngr, Gothic saggws
Feeling happy? Feeling sad? Sing a song! A song is poetry set to music, and there’s a song for every occasion, from “Happy Birthday” to “Here Comes the Bride.” Tra la la! Most songs have words, or lyrics, though not all of them do — and we call the musical sound a bird makes a song as well. Sometimes rhyming poems are called songs, like Pablo Neruda's "April Rain Song." If your friend tells you she bought her bicycle "for a song," that simply means it was inexpensive, not that she actually had to sing a song to get it.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The track begins almost like an acoustic ballad before corrido-like trumpets cut through, followed by spicy synths that pull the song into a completely different emotional register.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Washington must have enjoyed the bullets’ song somewhat less a year later when he joined Gen. Edward Braddock’s expedition to take Fort Duquesne, also in the Ohio Country.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
Then, in its final minute, the song mutates again, this time into reggaeton.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Other big winners on the night included Kae Tempest, whose tracks I Stand on the Line + Know Yourself split the vote for best contemporary song.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
Cassie shriek-squeals as she flicks Owen’s arm, and Nikhil starts belting out the school song, so off-key it must be on purpose.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
