Meaning & use
carol sing
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Meanings
nouncountable
An event at which people gather to sing Christmas carols, often going from house to house.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a carol sing' or 'carol sings'.
Patterns
- a carol sing
- go to a carol sing
- hold a carol sing
Our church is holding a carol sing on Christmas Eve.
We joined a carol sing in the neighborhood and sang for two hours.
The annual carol sing attracts families from all over town.
verbintransitive
To sing Christmas carols, especially in a group.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' or 'in': carol-sing at the mall.
Patterns
- carol-sing at a place
- go carol-singing
We carol-sing every year at the old people's home.
They went carol-singing around the village.
Children love to carol-sing in the snow.
Word forms
| plural | carol sings |
|---|---|
| present participle | carol-singing |
Common combinations
- annual carol sing
- The annual carol sing is a beloved tradition here.
- community carol sing
- The community carol sing brings everyone together.
- go carol-singing
- We go carol-singing on the weekend before Christmas.
- carol sing-along
- The carol sing-along was led by the choir.
Synonyms and how they differ
- caroling
- The activity of singing carols; 'caroling' is more common in American English, while 'carol sing' often names a specific event.
- carol service
- A church service with carols; 'carol sing' is less formal and may happen anywhere, not just in church.
Word family
Commonly confused: carol sing or carol singing?
carol sing vs carol singing
This is the activity of singing carols, while 'carol sing' often refers to a specific organized event.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'carol sing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Carol sing' is a noun meaning an event, so 'went to a carol sing' is correct. Option 2 uses it as a verb incorrectly; option 3 is nonsense; option 4 uses a non-existent past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “carol sing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.