song

¹ American  

[sawng, song] / sɔŋ, sɒŋ /

noun

1. a short metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad.

2. a musical piece adapted for singing or simulating a piece to be sung: sung.

   Mendelssohn's “Songs without Words.”

3. poetical composition; poetry.

4. the art or act of singing; vocal music.

5. something that is sung. sung.

6. an elaborate vocal signal produced by an animal, as the distinctive sounds produced by certain birds, frogs, etc., in a courtship or territorial display.

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idioms

1. for a song, at a very low price; as a bargain.

   We bought the rug for a song when the estate was auctioned off.

Song ² American  

[sawng] / sɔŋ /

noun

Pinyin.

1. 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

2. Ailing Ai-ling Soong.

3. Qingling Ching-ling Soong.

4. Meiling Mei-ling Soong.

5. Ziwen Tse-ven Soong.

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song ¹ British  

/ sɒŋ /

noun

1. 1. a piece of music, usually employing a verbal text, composed for the voice, esp one intended for performance by a soloist

   2. the whole repertory of such pieces

   3. ( as modifier )

      a song book

2. poetical composition; poetry

3. the characteristic tuneful call or sound made by certain birds or insects

4. the act or process of singing

   they raised their voices in song

5. at a bargain price

6. informal performing at peak efficiency or ability

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Song ² British  

/ sʊŋ /

noun

1. the Pinyin transliteration of the Chinese name for Sung

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song More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing song

• for a song
• swan song

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Other Word Forms

• songlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of song

First recorded before 900; Middle English song, sang, Old English; cognate with German Sang, Old Norse sǫngr, Gothic saggws

Example Sentences

To open the nearly three-hour concert, New Edition began with a new song, “Going Out Tonight,” joined onstage by Braxton and Boyz II Men, proving there’s still room for something new alongside the classics.

From Los Angeles Times

There is an album of Christmas songs, once invariably bestsellers for singers of all ranges, as well as a set of old Dutch folk songs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Much of the picture is devoted to songs and dances, with the children trying to determine whether this ragtag minstrel is really endowed with supernatural abilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Using modern text analysis, we examined hundreds of thousands of songs and every word they contained.

From The Wall Street Journal

He follows up that revelation by asking her to name her favorite song.

From Los Angeles Times