sing
gb/sˈɪŋ/ us/sˈɪŋ/
A1
English
~ 1600
énekel, csiripel, sípol, köp, beköp
VERB
A1
1
énekel
A1
Usage pattern:
to sing [a song/tune/lyrics]
She loves to sing in the shower every morning.
Imád minden reggel a zuhany alatt énekelni.
The children sang a beautiful song at the school concert.
A gyerekek egy gyönyörű dalt énekeltek az iskolai koncerten.
He sang loudly to his favorite track on the radio.
We all sang together around the campfire.
The choir will sing at the festival this weekend.
Learner examples
I like to sing in my room.
Szeretek a szobámban énekelni.
She can sing very well.
Nagyon jól tud énekelni.
We sing songs at school.
They sing together every Sunday.
He sings in a band.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'sing' with 'song'. 'Sing' is the action; 'song' is the thing you sing.
Meaning
Produce musical sounds with voice
Collocations
sing a song
|sing in tune
|sing along
|sing loudly
|sing softly
Synonyms
chant (Often more rhythmic and repetitive, sometimes without melody.)
|
croon (To sing softly and smoothly, often in a sentimental way.)
Antonyms
stay silent (To not make any vocal sound at all.)
Themes
music
|entertainment
|daily life
|arts_entertainment
|communication
Definition
To make music with your voice by using different notes.
To make musical sounds with the voice, especially in a structured tune or melody.
VERB
A2
2
Usage pattern:
[something] sings
The canary sang beautifully in its cage.
A kanári szépen csiripelt a kalitkájában.
Outside, the birds were singing in the trees.
Odakint a madarak csiripeltek a fákon.
The kettle sang as the water boiled.
A lark sang high above the meadow.
Learner examples
The bird sings in the tree.
A madár csiripel a fán.
My cat sleeps while the birds sing.
A macskám alszik, miközben a madarak csiripelnek.
A small bird sings every morning.
The birds sing when it is sunny.
Meaning
Make high-pitched continuous sound
Collocations
birds sing
|sing sweetly
|sing loudly
|sing happily
Synonyms
chirp (Short, quick sounds made by small birds or insects.)
|
warble (To sing or whistle with trills and variations in pitch.)
Antonyms
be silent (To make no sound at all.)
Themes
nature
|sound
|communication
Definition
To make a high, clear sound for a while, like some birds do.
To produce a high-pitched, continuous, and often pleasant sound, as made by birds or certain objects.
VERB
B2
INFORMAL
3
Usage pattern:
to sing to [someone] about [something]
Under pressure, he finally sang and told them everything.
A nyomás alatt végül köpött, és mindent elmondott nekik.
The suspect refused to sing despite hours of questioning.
A gyanúsított a többórás kihallgatás ellenére sem volt hajlandó köpni.
They knew he would sing if offered a lighter sentence.
Learner examples
He sang to the police about the crime.
Köpött a rendőrségnek a bűncselekményről.
She will not sing about her friends.
Nem fogja beköpni a barátait.
They made him sing after many questions.
Meaning
Tell authorities about wrongdoing
Collocations
sing to the police
|make someone sing
|sing like a canary
Synonyms
confess (To admit one’s own wrongdoing rather than report others.)
|
inform (A more formal word for giving information to authorities.)
Antonyms
keep quiet (To intentionally not reveal information.)
Themes
crime
|law
|communication
Definition
To tell the police or other officials about someone’s crime or bad action.
To reveal information about someone's illegal or wrong actions to authorities, often to avoid punishment oneself.
Grammar
Dictionary form
sing
IPA
GB/sˈɪŋ/
US/sˈɪŋ/
Syllables & stress
sing (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (sing)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: sing
- 3rd Person Singular: sings
- Present Participle: singing
- Past: sang
- Past Participle: sung
Word family
Forms
sings
verb
singing
verb
sang
verb
sung
verb
Related words
singable
adjective
Advanced or less common
unsung
adjective
Highlights
- Irregular past: sang Verb
- Irregular past participle: sung Verb
Expressions
sing along
1/sˈɪŋ əlˈɔŋ/
phrasal verb
Join in singing with others or music
To sing together with another person or with music that is playing.
Examples
- Everyone sang along to the chorus of the song.
- She encouraged the audience to sing along with her guitar playing.
sing like a canary
1/sˈɪŋ lˈaɪk ə kənˈɛɹi/
idiom
informal
Reveal information freely (to authorities)
To tell secrets or private information easily, especially to police.
Examples
- Once they caught him, he sang like a canary and told them everything.
- The suspect is expected to sing like a canary under questioning.
sing out of tune
1/sˈɪŋ ˈaʊt əv tˈun/
fixed phrase
Sing with incorrect pitch
To sing with notes that are not correct for the song.
Examples
- He always sings out of tune but with great enthusiasm.
- The choir was nervous and sang out of tune during the performance.
sing someone's praises
1/sˈɪŋ sˈʌmwˌʌnz pɹˈeɪzɪz/
idiom
Speak very positively about someone/something
To say many good things about someone or something.
Examples
- The manager sang her praises after the successful project.
- Everyone at the office is singing her praises after the successful product launch.
- They are always singing the praises of their favorite restaurant.
- He kept singing the doctor's praises to anyone who would listen.