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Glite Dictionary
🎤 To make music 🔔 To make a sound 🗣️ To reveal secrets
to sing

to sing

70 8.4
To tell secret information to the police or other officials
  • verb
  • /sɪŋ/
  • Slang
translation icon : cantar
  • Your friend George is going to sing like a canary.

He made a deal with the FBI to sing like a Mary.

Examples

  • After being questioned by the police, he began to sing and revealed all the details of the crime.

  • The whistleblower decided to sing to the authorities about the corruption in the company.

  • The only place you're going to sing is in jail.

    Cry-Baby (1990)

  • If he tells the press you wouldn't sing with him, it could look pretty bad.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • He made a deal with the FBI to sing like a Mary.

    Brain Blaze

  • You're a great wizard, and I'll sing your praises everywhere I go.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • They weren't exactly singing my praises when l left home.

    Treasure Planet (2002)

  • She chose to sing to investigators rather than face charges for her involvement.

Synonyms

to talk
vsto sing
  • Informal
435 6.1

Tell secrets or private facts because of pressure

can be voluntary reporting to authorities rather than only pressured speech
to leak
vsto sing
219 4.1

To tell secret information to the public without permission

typically targets authorities and personal betrayal rather than public release
to spill
vsto sing
164 4.5

To reveal secret information, often by mistake

stresses deliberate betrayal to authorities rather than accidental disclosure
to betray
vsto sing
143 4.6

Tell someone's secret to other people

is focused on betraying secrets specifically to authorities or officials
to give away
vsto sing
114 3.4

Tell a secret on purpose or by accident

emphasizes reporting to authorities and the idea of betrayal
to rat out
vsto sing
  • Informal
76 8.6

To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust

is the broader act of informing authorities, not just personal betrayal
to divulge
vsto sing
45 6.2

To tell secret or private information to people

often targets official authorities or formal reporting rather than general sharing
to let on
vsto sing
  • Informal
43 6.0

To tell a secret or show feelings you were trying to hide

often implies a deliberate betrayal to authorities rather than neutral revealing
to inform
vsto sing
41 6.8

To secretly tell the police about someone's illegal actions

covers disclosure more broadly, not only criminal reporting to authorities
to snitch
vsto sing
  • Slang
36 7.9

To secretly tell the police or a person in charge about someone's bad actions

is the general act of informing authorities without focusing on social judgment
to blab
vsto sing
  • Informal
21 7.4

To tell secrets without thinking

is specifically about informing authorities or betraying a secret intentionally
to spill the beans
vsto sing
  • Informal
18 6.0

Tell a secret by accident before others know

covers intentional disclosure to authorities and betrayal of confidence
to breathe a word
vsto sing
  • Informal
12 6.3

To tell someone a secret that should be kept

refers to actual disclosure to authorities or betrayal, not just warning
to tattle
vsto sing
  • Informal
8 7.0

Tell a person in charge about someone else's bad actions in a childish way

is the formal act of disclosing secrets, often to authorities, not childish gossip
to let the cat out of the bag
vsto sing
  • Informal
5 5.1

To tell a secret that should be kept

is broader, including deliberate informing to authorities and betrayal
to babble
vsto sing
3 5.3

Tell secret information carelessly to others

is the act of reporting secrets to authorities, possibly intentionally
to peach
vsto sing
  • Archaic
2 9.9

To tell authorities secret information about someone to get them in trouble

is the wider act of disclosure, not limited to informing authorities
to give the game away
vsto sing
1 5.5

To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise

includes deliberate informing to authorities as well as accidental disclosure
to blab out
vsto sing
  • Informal
1 7.9

To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to

focuses more on deliberate reporting to officials rather than careless speech
to babble out
vsto sing
  • Informal
8.0

To tell secrets without thinking

is about formally giving information to authorities rather than careless talk

Antonyms

to conceal
282 3.7

To hide something so others cannot see or find it

to keep a secret
76 2.6

To not tell anyone private information

Idioms

to sing the praises
6 4.1

Say strong good things about someone or something in public

to sing the praises of
5 4.5

Say very good things about someone or something

to sing one's heart out
  • Informal
4 4.8

To sing with great feeling and energy

to sing for one's supper
  • Informal
4 7.9

To do work or perform to earn something you need

to sing the same tune
1 4.6

To agree with others, often in public

to sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
9.7

Make a very loud, strong sound with your voice and much feeling

to sing from the same hymnbook
  • Informal
6.8

To agree with others and express the same view

to sing like a jaybird
  • Informal
8.4

To sing very loudly and happily

Phrasal Verbs

to sing along
44 1.4

To sing together with other people or with music playing

to sing soprano
1 5.3

To sing in the highest voice part in a choir

to sing praises
1 4.1

To say very good things about someone, often in public

to sing small
  • Informal
8.8

Act modestly by saying little about your talents

to sing in key
4.0

To match your voice to the notes of the song

How Cooperative

to squeal
  • Slang
22 6.8
to sing
  • Slang
70 8.4
to inform
∞ 1.0
to deny
∞ 2.0

Surface Forms

sing infinitive
singing present participle
sings third person singular
sang past
sung past participle

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the slang sense of sing is to imagine someone 'singing' like a bird and giving away facts. From that image, to sing came to mean 'confess' or 'inform', which is why it now can mean telling secret information to the police or others.