Meaning & use
sing praise
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Meanings
phraseidiom
To speak or sing about how good someone or something is, especially in worship or public thanks.
Grammar: Used as a whole phrase, often with a possessive: sing his praises, sing the praises of the new system.
Patterns
- sing the praises of someone
- sing someone's praises
- sing praise to God
The choir stood up to sing praise to God at the end of the service.
The coach sang the praises of his young goalkeeper after the match.
In her speech she sang the praises of the nurses who had cared for her father.
phraseidiomreligion
To honor or thank a god or holy figure with songs and words in a religious ceremony.
Grammar: Common in religious writing; the object is usually a deity, not a person.
Patterns
- sing praise to God
- sing praises to the Lord
The congregation sang praise to God throughout the night.
Ancient worshippers would sing praise to the rising sun.
Common combinations
- sing someone's praises
- All the neighbors sing her praises for the way she helped during the flood.
- sing the praises of something
- The article sings the praises of the city's new tram system.
- sing praise to God
- The hymn invites the whole church to sing praise to God.
- a song of praise
- They opened the ceremony with a song of praise.
- praise and worship
- The evening was given over to praise and worship.
Synonyms and how they differ
- praise
- The general verb for saying good things about someone; it works in ordinary conversation, while sing praise sounds more formal or religious.
- commend
- More formal and often official, used when someone in authority expresses approval.
- glorify
- Strongly religious or literary, meaning to honor something as holy or wonderful.
- compliment
- Used for small, personal remarks about someone's appearance or work, not for public or religious praise.
Opposites
Word family
- praise noun
- Words that show approval or admiration.
- praiseworthy adjective
- Deserving praise or approval.
- praiseworthy adjective
- Deserving praise or approval.
Commonly confused: sing praise or prays?
sing praise vs prays
Sounds the same as praise in some accents but means 'speaks to God'; praise means 'says good things about someone'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'sing the praises of someone' or 'sing someone's praises', so option An is correct. Option B drops 'the', option C drops 'of', and option D uses the wrong preposition and singular form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sing praise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.