What does "croon" mean?
A soft, low-pitched sound; specifically, a soft or sentimental hum, song, or tune.
Croon
/kɹuːn/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A soft, low-pitched sound; specifically, a soft or sentimental hum, song, or tune.
- Grammar: croon is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: anthem, art song, ballad, ballad.
- Useful contrasts: belting tongue clearly, belts, berate.
- Usage evidence: If you croon like this, she will stop crying.
How to use "croon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "croon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "croon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "croon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "croon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "croon" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "anthem" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "croon", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A soft, low-pitched sound; specifically, a soft or sentimental hum, song, or tune.
"O, a’ ye Bards on bonie Doon! / An’ vvha on Ayr your chanters tune! / Come, join the melancholious croon / O’ Robin’s reed! / His heart vvill never get aboon! / His Mailie’s dead!"
- 2 A continuous hollow low-pitched moan, as of cattle; a bellow. Northern-England, Scotland
"Amang the brachens, on the brae, / Betvveen her an' the moon, / The Deil, or elſe an outler Quey, / Gat up an' gae a croon: […]"
- 3 The low-pitched sound of a large bell. Northern-England, Scotland
Verb
- 1 To hum or sing (a song or tune), or to speak (words), softly in a low pitch or in a sentimental manner; specifically, to sing (a popular song) in a low, mellow voice. transitive
"He was crooning a song."
- 2 sing softly wordnet
- 3 To soothe (a person or an animal) by singing softly. transitive
"[I]n his ill-remembered prayer, and in the fragment of the childish hymn with which he sung and crooned himself asleep, there breathed as true a spirit as ever studied homily expressed, or old cathedral arches echoed."
- 4 To hum or sing, or to speak, softly in a low pitch or in a sentimental manner; specifically, to sing a popular song in a low, mellow voice. intransitive
"She was crooning, but I couldn’t make out what the song was."
- 5 To lament, to moan. Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To make a continuous hollow low-pitched moan, as of cattle; to bellow, to low. Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive
"Novv Clinkumbell, vvi' rattlin tovv, / Begins to jovv an' croon; […]"
- 7 Of a large bell: to make a low-pitched sound. Northern-England, Scotland, intransitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"If you croon like this, she will stop crying."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "croon"?
Common synonyms include: anthem, art song, ballad, ballad, bel canto, blues.
How do you use "croon" in a sentence?
If you croon like this, she will stop crying.
How do you pronounce "croon"?
Pronounced /kɹuːn/.
Etymology
The verb is borrowed from Scots croon (“to utter a deep, long-drawn-out sound; to utter a lament, mourn; to sing in a wailing voice, whimper, whine; to mutter or sing in an undertone, hum”) [and other forms], from Middle English cronen (“to sing or speak softly, hum, croon”) (croyn (Scotland)) [and other forms], probably from Middle Dutch crônen, krônen (“to groan, moan; to lament”) (modern Dutch kreunen (“to moan”)), or Old High German chrônan, krônen (“to babble, prattle; to chatter”), probably from Proto-West Germanic *kraunijan, from Proto-Indo-European *gerH- (“to cry hoarsely”). The noun is partly: * borrowed from Scots croon (“a lament, wail; mournful song; low murmuring tune; (obsolete) long-drawn-out sound”), from croon (verb): see above; and * derived from the verb. Cognates * Middle Dutch krônen (modern Dutch kreunen (“to groan, moan; to lament”)) * Middle Low German kroenen (“to babble, prattle; to chatter”), kronen (“to growl; to grumble; to scold”) * Old High German chrônan, chrônnan (“to babble, prattle; to chatter”) * Saterland Frisian krȫnen (“to cause to weep”)