Meaning & use
to rejoice
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Meanings
verbintransitiveformalliterary
To feel or show great joy and happiness.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' or 'in': rejoice at the news, rejoice in your success.
Patterns
- rejoice at something
- rejoice in something
- rejoice that ...
The whole town rejoiced at the news of the rescue.
She rejoiced in her daughter's success.
We rejoice that the war has finally ended.
verbintransitivereligionformal
To celebrate or express joy publicly, often in a religious context.
Grammar: Often used in religious language: rejoice in the Lord.
Patterns
- rejoice in the Lord
- rejoice together
The congregation rejoiced together on Easter Sunday.
They rejoiced in the Lord and gave thanks.
Word forms
| third person singular | rejoices |
|---|---|
| past tense | rejoiced |
| past participle | rejoiced |
| -ing form | rejoicing |
Common combinations
- rejoice at the news
- The fans rejoiced at the news of the team's victory.
- rejoice in something
- He rejoiced in his newfound freedom.
- rejoice with someone
- We rejoice with you on this happy occasion.
Synonyms and how they differ
- celebrate
- Celebrate is more general and can involve activities; rejoice is more about the feeling of joy and is more formal.
- delight
- Delight in something means to enjoy it greatly; rejoice is stronger and often more formal or literary.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: to rejoice or rejoinder?
to rejoice vs rejoinder
Rejoinder is a quick reply, especially in an argument; rejoice means to feel great joy.
Practice
The villagers _____ at the news that the drought had ended.
Choose one answer.
The sentence is in the past tense, so we need the past tense form 'rejoiced'. 'Rejoice' is the base form, 'rejoicing' is the -ing form, and 'rejoices' is third person singular present, which do not fit the past time reference.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to rejoice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.