Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: singan

sing

 verb
     
sing
NEW! See related topics: MUSICBIRDS
sing S1 W2 past tense sang, past participle sung
1

with your voice

[intransitive and transitive]APM to produce a musical sound with your voice:
She can sing beautifully.
Most children enjoy singing.
We had a great time singing some of the old songs.
sing to
My mother used to sing to me when I was young.
He was singing to himself quietly.
sing somebody something
Come on, sing us a song!
I've never been able to sing in tune (=sing the correct notes).
She patiently sang the baby to sleep.
 ➔ singing
2

birds

[intransitive]HBB if birds sing, they produce high musical sounds:
I could hear the birds singing outside my window.
3

high noise

[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to make a high whistling sound:
A kettle was singing on the stove.
sing past
A bullet sang past my ear.
4

sing somebody's praises

to praise someone very much:
Mrs Edwards was singing your praises today.
5

sing a different tune

to say something different from what you said before:
You're singing a different tune now!
6

be singing from the same hymn sheet/book

used to say that a group of people all have the same aims or all express the same opinion on a particular subject:
Union representatives are all singing from the same hymn sheet on the issue of pay.
7

give information

[intransitive] informal to tell people everything you know about a crime when they ask you questions about it - used especially by criminals and the police:
I think he'll sing.

sing along

phrasal verb
to sing with someone else who is already singing:
Sing along if you know the words.
sing along to
Jess was singing along to the radio.

sing out

phrasal verb
1

sing out (something)

to shout or sing some words clearly and loudly:
'Freeze!' a shrill voice sang out.
2 American English to sing loudly so that people can hear you easily

sing up

phrasal verb
to sing more loudly:
Sing up, boys, I can't hear you!
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

ADVERTISING AND MARKETINGANIMALSBANKING
BIOLOGYBUSINESS BASICSCOMPUTERS
CLOTHESDAILY LIFEEDUCATION
FINANCEFOODGRAMMAR
HAIR AND BEAUTYHUMANLAW
MUSICNATURESPORT
STOCKS AND SHARESTECHNOLOGYTRADE