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Glite Dictionary
to sing the praises of

to sing the praises of

5 4.5
Say very good things about someone or something
  • idiom
translation icon : cantar las alabanzas de
  • All right, well, sing the praises of carpet tape, right?

I want to sing the praises of a book called Screen Schooled by two teachers in Fairfax, VA.

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Examples

  • Pretty much the entire Internet is singing the praises of Kendrick Lamar's new album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city.

    Blog text (28)

  • Proof positive that our students are singing the praises of our school lunch program

    Return to... Return to Nuke 'Em High aka Vol. 2 (2017)

  • Do it, and you too will sing the praises of the beautiful California coast.

    Blog text (26)

  • But I was just singing the praises of these things.

  • I mean it's hard for me to sing the praises of the major labels.

    Blog text (10)

  • I don't often sing the praises of this car, but you can tell there that that is quality.

  • Relatives hire music groups and accompany them around the town, dancing and singing the praises of the family.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Until today, I have sung the praises of Google products' functionality and integration.

    Blog text (25)

  • I want to sing the praises of a book called Screen Schooled by two teachers in Fairfax, VA.

    The Rich Dad Channel

  • Many fans gathered to sing the praises of their favorite band after the concert.

Synonyms

to cheer
vsto sing the praises of
356 1.0

To shout to show support for someone or something

is verbal praise that is more focused on commendation than noise
to praise
vsto sing the praises of
331 1.0

To tell a person that you admire or approve of them

adds stronger enthusiasm and public emphasis to that basic approval
to celebrate
vsto sing the praises of
201 2.1

To praise someone in public for something they did

is more about lively enthusiastic commendation than formal honoring
to applaud
vsto sing the praises of
136 3.2

To show praise in public for a person or idea

is more strongly enthusiastic and often more celebratory in tone
to hail
vsto sing the praises of
  • Literature
131 4.1

To welcome or praise someone publicly and enthusiastically

is mainly about praising rather than greeting with energy
to compliment
vsto sing the praises of
95 1.6

To say something nice about someone or their work

is more enthusiastic and often addresses a broader audience publicly
to glorify
vsto sing the praises of
86 5.2

To make a person or thing seem better and more important than they really are

focuses on sincere enthusiastic praise rather than exaggerated glorification
to commend
vsto sing the praises of
67 4.4

To praise someone or something for good work

is more forceful and often louder or more public in praise
to tout
vsto sing the praises of
65 6.1

To praise or advertise something strongly to make people want it

is enthusiastic praise that is usually not promotional or self-serving
to acclaim
vsto sing the praises of
53 4.5

To praise someone in public with great excitement for their success

is similar but emphasizes enthusiastic commendation more than welcome
to laud
vsto sing the praises of
  • Formal
30 7.7

To praise someone publicly in a formal way

is more informal and celebratory rather than formally honoring
to gush
vsto sing the praises of
26 5.6

To praise a person or thing too much, often with strong feeling

is enthusiastic but usually more controlled and less emotional
to extol
vsto sing the praises of
7 7.5

To praise someone or something very much

is focused on public, enthusiastic commendation rather than mere high praise
to sing the praises
vsto sing the praises of
6 4.1

Say strong good things about someone or something in public

is the fuller phrase that adds the preposition for clarity
to gush about
vsto sing the praises of
4 6.1

Talk in a very excited way to praise someone or something

is enthusiastic too but typically less emotionally excessive
to enthuse about
vsto sing the praises of
1 5.6

To talk in an excited way about something you like

is broader public commendation rather than just excited personal talk
to sing praises
vsto sing the praises of
1 4.1

To say very good things about someone, often in public

is the fuller verbal pattern often including an extra preposition
praise to the skies
vsto sing the praises of
  • Informal
1 5.8

Say very good things about someone or something with strong feeling

is enthusiastic too but not always as extreme or hyperbolic
to heap on praise
vsto sing the praises of
4.0

To give a lot of praise, often more than needed

is enthusiastic praise but usually less excessive in quantity
to kudo
vsto sing the praises of
  • Informal
8.4

To praise someone publicly for something they did

is similarly enthusiastic but fits more formal or emphatic use

Antonyms

to criticize
701 3.3

To say what is wrong with someone or something

How Complimentary

to extol
7 7.5
to sing the praises of
5 4.5
to commend
67 4.4

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

sing + the + praise + of

The noun 'praise' signals approval and the verb 'sing' here is used metaphorically to mean 'utter enthusiastically', so a learner who knows the constituents would likely infer a praising meaning but not the exact idiomatic phrasing. Because the verb's use is metaphorical (not literal singing) yet the overall sense is signaled by the parts and is common cross-linguistically (e.g., Spanish 'cantar las alabanzas'), the expression is partially but not fully compositional.

Etymology

Sing the praises of comes from the old image of people using sing and praises together: they would sing songs that praised a hero or a good deed. That's why it now means 'to praise someone or something strongly'.