What does "sing" mean?
The act, or event, of singing songs.
Sing
/sɪŋ/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act, or event, of singing songs.
- Grammar: sing is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: anthem, babble, babble, babble out.
- Useful contrasts: rapping, conceal, disparage.
- Usage evidence: Hearing you sing, people might take you for a girl.
How to use "sing"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sing" 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 "sing" 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 "sing" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sing" 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 "sing" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "sing", 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 The act, or event, of singing songs.
"I sometimes have a quick sing in the shower."
Verb
- 1 To produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice. intransitive
""I really want to sing in the school choir," said Vera."
- 2 divulge confidential information or secrets wordnet
- 3 To perform a vocal part in a musical composition, regardless of technique. intransitive
- 4 make a whining, ringing, or whistling sound wordnet
- 5 To express audibly by means of a harmonious vocalization. transitive
"sing a lullaby"
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 to make melodious sounds wordnet
- 7 To soothe with singing. transitive
"to sing somebody to sleep"
- 8 produce tones with the voice wordnet
- 9 Of birds, to vocalise:; To produce a 'song', for the purposes of defending a breeding territory or to attract a mate. ambitransitive
- 10 deliver by singing wordnet
- 11 Of birds, to vocalise:; To produce any type of melodious vocalisation. ambitransitive, literary
"I do but sing because I must, And pipe but as the linnets sing: And unto one her note is gay, For now her little ones have ranged; And unto one her note is changed, Because her brood is stol’n away."
- 12 To confess under interrogation. intransitive, slang
- 13 To make a small, shrill sound. intransitive
"The air sings in passing through a crevice."
- 14 To relate in verse; to celebrate in poetry.
"Again I bid the mournful Goddeſs write / The fond Purſuit of fugitive Delight: / Bid her exalt her melancholy Wing, / And rais'd from Earth, and ſav'd from Paſſion, ſing / Of human Hope by croſs Event deſtroyed, / Of uſeleſs Wealth, and Greatneſs unenjoy'd, […]"
- 15 To display fine qualities; to stand out as excellent. intransitive
"The sauce really makes this lamb sing."
- 16 To be capable of being sung; to produce a certain effect by being sung. ergative
"No song sings well unless it is open-vowelled, and has the rhythmic stress on the vowels. Tennyson's songs, for instance, are not generally adapted to music."
- 17 In traditional Aboriginal culture, to direct a supernatural influence on (a person or thing), usually malign; to curse. Australia
"‘We sung them two real good. We never give Louis Beck no place to find rest from his torment.’"
- 18 To yell or shout. archaic, slang
"I took my flogging like a stone. If I had sung, some of the convicts would have given me some lush with a locust in it (laudanum hocussing), and when I was asleep would have given me a crack on the head that would have laid me straight."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from English [in turn originating as an occupation].
- 2 A surname from Chinese.
- 3 Alternative spelling of Singh A South Asian surname. alt-of, alternative
"For quotations using this term, see Citations:Sing."
- 4 Alternative spelling of Singh A South Asian surname.; a Sikh surname
Example
"Hearing you sing, people might take you for a girl."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sing"?
Common synonyms include: anthem, babble, babble, babble out, ballad, bark.
How do you use "sing" in a sentence?
Hearing you sing, people might take you for a girl.
How do you pronounce "sing"?
Pronounced /sɪŋ/.
Etymology
From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”).