praise
Americannoun
-
the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.
- Synonyms:
- compliment, approbation, applause, plaudit, acclamation
- Antonyms:
- condemnation
-
the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship.
a hymn of praise to God.
-
the state of being approved or admired.
The king lived in praise for many years.
-
Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.
verb (used with object)
-
praises,
present (3rd person singular)
-
praised,
past participle, past
-
praising
present participle
idioms
noun
-
the act of expressing commendation, admiration, etc
-
the extolling of a deity or the rendering of homage and gratitude to a deity
-
the condition of being commended, admired, etc
-
archaic the reason for praise
-
to commend someone highly
verb
-
to express commendation, admiration, etc, for
-
to proclaim or describe the glorious attributes of (a deity) with homage and thanksgiving
Synonym Usage
See approve.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
praisernoun
-
self-praisenoun
-
superpraisenoun
-
outpraiseverb (used with object)
-
repraiseverb (used with object)
-
half-praisedadjective
-
half-praisingadjective
-
praisefuladjective
-
praiselessadjective
-
self-praisingadjective
-
unpraisedadjective
-
unpraisefuladjective
-
unpraisingadjective
-
praisefullyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
praisesimple
-
praisessimple
-
have praisedperfect
-
has praisedperfect
-
am praisingprogressive
-
are praisingprogressive
-
is praisingprogressive
-
have been praisingperfect progressive
-
has been praisingperfect progressive
Past
-
praisedsimple
-
had praisedperfect
-
was praisingprogressive
-
were praisingprogressive
-
had been praisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of praise
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb preisen, from Old French preisier “to value, prize,” from Late Latin pretiāre, derivative of Latin pretium “worth, reward” ( see price); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
Praise means "admiration or approval," and when you're on the receiving end of it, you feel great. Whether it's used as a verb or a noun, praise means "approval." If you enthusiastically praise your dog, he's likely to wag his tail and expect a treat. What you've given him (in addition to the treat) is praise, the noun. In a religious context, the verb praise is interchangeable with worship, as when a minister says, "Praise God."
Vocabulary lists containing praise
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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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.
See Examples For:
On the other end of the spectrum, acts have won praise for battling their way back to the spotlight in the wake of a health scare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Though seething about the penalty, Arteta took the opportunity during his post-match media conference to praise his side's defensive efforts.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III, meanwhile, took his praise for Slaughter a step further.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
It’ll mean individual content creators will need to remain authentic in order to stand apart from the herd, albeit without being too effusive in their praise.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
After forty years of living with the public’s praise and condemnation, Maggie and Kate knew how best to seek revenge against their oldest sister.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
While Tarlov was grateful for his advice, her book praises current Fox News Chief Executive Suzanne Scott for creating a workplace culture that is much more hospitable to women.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
He shadowboxes with ostriches and brings in celebrities like Rick Ross and Naomi Campbell for IBA events; he praises Stalin and rides private jets.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Nadira Goffe praises Lanterns’ deft portrayal of the Black American experience.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
Martin O'Neill sang their praises in the aftermath and preached caution ahead of the second leg, as he was obliged to do.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Candor sing the praises of the truth, but they never tell you how much it costs.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
Huang praised Trump’s earlier comments, then put him on speaker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
His commanding officer praised Major Wilks as "a man of great intellect, yet he remained a mate to those he served with".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
In July he drew the attention of Musk, whom he has praised as "the most eminent personality in the world."
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Spinach, almonds, and sweet potatoes are often praised for their nutritional value.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Ma praised him up and down for it.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
“Thank you for praising me,” Mr. Brookhiser writes in summarizing Lafayette’s speeches, “but thank you above all for causing the world to esteem America.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
At one point in August 2024, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese even felt moved to speak out, praising Gunn for having "a crack".
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
Earlier this year Tiffany was praising the technology and voting to speed AI infrastructure through.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
While praising Green’s composure, accuracy, consistency and feel, Westlake coach Rick Clausen also singled out the offensive line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
“It doesn’t know if I’m insulting it or praising its beauty.”
From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth
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.
