sing S1 W2 /sɪŋ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense sang /sæŋ/, past participle sung /sʌŋ/)
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ singer , ↑ singing ; verb : ↑ sing ; adjective : ↑ unsung ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: singan ]
1 . WITH YOUR VOICE [intransitive and transitive] 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] 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 sb’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 British English
to sing more loudly:
Sing up, boys, I can’t hear you!