Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to sing to the tonsils

to sing to the tonsils

9.7
Make a very loud, strong sound with your voice and much feeling
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : cantar a todo pulmón
  • At the concert, the entire crowd began to sing to the tonsils during the final chorus.

Examples

  • She loves to sing to the tonsils at karaoke nights.

  • She didn't hold back, deciding to sing to the tonsils at her friend's birthday party.

  • Whenever his favorite song plays on the radio, he can't help but sing to the tonsils.

  • Don't sing to the tonsils in the library!

  • At the concert, the entire crowd began to sing to the tonsils during the final chorus.

  • Whenever his favorite song plays on the radio, he can't help but sing to the tonsils.

  • She loves to sing to the tonsils at karaoke nights.

Synonyms

to belt
vsto sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
15 5.5

To sing loudly with a strong voice

is loud but expresses lively enthusiasm rather than raw vocal force
to belt out
vsto sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
9 3.7

To sing or play music loudly with a lot of energy

focuses on loudness plus enthusiasm more than sheer power
to sing one's heart out
vsto sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
4 4.8

To sing with great feeling and energy

is louder and more enthusiastic rather than only emotional passion
to sing like a jaybird
vsto sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
8.4

To sing very loudly and happily

emphasizes loudness and enthusiasm over simple joyful abandon

Antonyms

softly
178 1.0

In a quiet, low voice or at low volume

How Loud

to belt out
  • Informal
9 3.7
to sing to the tonsils
  • Informal
9.7
to sing
∞ 1.0
to hum
69 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

sing + to + the + tonsils

The literal parts ('sing' + 'tonsils') create a clear bodily metaphor — tonsils are in the throat, so 'sing to the tonsils' plausibly signals singing with great force from the throat, which a learner could partially infer. However, this is a creative, colloquial intensifier rather than a standard compositional pattern, and the exact nuance ('very loudly/with enthusiasm') is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Sing to the tonsils may come from the image of singing so loudly that the sound seems to hit your tonsils, the soft parts at the back of your throat. So, it means 'to sing very loudly or with great enthusiasm'.