I. praise 1 /preɪz/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: preisier , from Late Latin pretiare 'to value highly' , from Latin pretium ; ⇨ ↑ price 1 ]
1 . to say that you admire and approve of someone or something, especially publicly OPP criticize :
Jane was praised by her teacher.
praise somebody/something for (doing) something
The Mayor praised the rescue teams for their courage.
a highly praised novel
praise somebody/something to the skies (=praise someone or something very much)
2 . to give thanks to God and show your respect to Him, especially by singing in a church
3 . God/Heaven be praised ( also Praise the Lord ) used to say that you are pleased something has happened and thank God for it
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THESAURUS
▪ praise to say that you admire and approve of someone or something, especially publicly:
The film was praised by the critics when it first came out.
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The report praises staff in both schools.
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It’s important to praise children.
▪ congratulate to tell someone that you think it is good that they have achieved something:
I congratulated him on his success.
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The government should be congratulated for what they have achieved.
▪ compliment to say to someone that you like how they look, or you like something they have done:
She complimented me on my new hairstyle.
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He complimented my cooking.
▪ flatter to praise someone in order to please them or get something from them, even though you do not mean it:
He had persuaded her to buy it by flattering her and being charming.
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You’re just flattering me!
▪ rave about something ( also enthuse about something formal ) to talk about something you enjoy or admire in an excited way, and say that it is very good. Rave is rather informal, whereas enthuse is much more formal and is used mainly in written English:
Everyone is raving about the movie.
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She enthused about the joys of motherhood.
▪ applaud formal to publicly praise a decision, action, idea etc:
Business leaders applauded the decision.
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A spokeperson applauded the way the festival had been run.
▪ commend formal to praise someone or something, especially officially:
After the battle, Andrew Jackson commended him for ‘his courage and fidelity’.
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The officers should be commended for their prompt action.
▪ hail somebody/something as something especially written to describe someone or something in a way that shows you have a very good opinion of them, especially in newspapers, on television reports etc:
The book was hailed as a masterpiece.
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Journalists and music writers hailed the band as ‘the next big thing’.
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He is being hailed as the new James Dean.
II. praise 2 W3 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . words that you say or write in order to praise someone or something OPP criticism :
It's important to give children plenty of praise and encouragement.
Her teacher was full of praise for her work.
His first novel received high praise.
Gregory was singled out (= he was chosen in particular) for special praise .
The film has won praise from audiences and critics alike.
in praise of somebody/something
He wrote a poem in praise of his hero.
2 . the expression of respect and thanks to God:
Let us give praise unto the Lord.
songs of praise
3 . praise be! old-fashioned used when you are very pleased about something that has happened
⇨ sing sb’s praises at ↑ sing (4)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ give somebody praise
Give your dog plenty of praise when it behaves well.
▪ get praise
His actions did not get the praise they deserved.
▪ win/earn/receive praise
The trade deal won praise from the American business community.
▪ deserve praise
She deserves praise for all the charity work she does.
▪ be singled out for praise (=be the one person who is praised)
His work was singled out for praise by the examiners.
▪ heap/lavish praise on somebody (=praise them a lot)
Ireland's manager has heaped praise on his team.
▪ shower somebody with praise (=praise them a lot)
Taiwan's media lately showered praise on Li Yundi, the 18-year-old piano prodigy.
■ adjectives
▪ high praise (=a lot of praise)
The film won high praise from critics and audiences alike.
▪ special praise
My sister was constantly singled out for special praise.
▪ lavish praise (=very high praise)
United’s captain received lavish praise from his manager.
▪ faint praise (=comments that seem to praise someone, but in a way that does not really give them much praise)
He wins faint praise as ‘the only candidate with a grain of sense’.
■ phrases
▪ be full of praise for somebody (=praise them a lot)
Captain Jones was full of praise for his men.
▪ have nothing but praise for somebody/something (=praise them a lot, especially when they have had to deal with a difficult situation)
Passengers had nothing but praise for the pilot.
▪ words of praise
She still had some words of praise for her ex-husband’s wit and charm.