Meaning & use
sing your praises
Last updated
UK/ˌsɪŋ jɔː ˈpreɪzɪz/
US/ˌsɪŋ jʊr ˈpreɪzɪz/
Meaning
phraseidiom
to praise someone enthusiastically, often to other people
Grammar: The phrase takes a possessive pronoun before 'praises': sing my/your/his/her/our/their praises. It is not used in the passive.
Patterns
- sing someone's praises
- sing the praises of someone
After the concert, the critics sang her praises for days.
He is always singing the praises of his old school.
The manager sang your praises at the meeting yesterday.
Common combinations
- sing someone's praises
- The teacher sang the student's praises to his parents.
- sing the praises of
- The article sings the praises of the new vaccine.
- be sung for
- She was sung for her bravery by the whole town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- praise
- The verb 'praise' is more general and neutral; 'sing someone's praises' suggests you do it openly and repeatedly.
- commend
- 'Commend' is more formal and often used for official recognition; 'sing your praises' is warmer and more conversational.
- laud
- 'Laud' is literary or formal; 'sing your praises' is the everyday idiom.
Opposites
Word family
- praise noun
- Words that show approval or admiration.
- praiseworthy adjective
- Deserving praise.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom requires a possessive pronoun before 'praises': 'her boss's praises'. Option A misses the possessive; option C needs 'the praises of'; option D misses 'of'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sing your praises”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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