sing

A1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /sɪŋ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like thing /θ/ vs /s/ Sounds like ching /tʃ/ vs /s/

verb Freq #786

Meanings

1

verb
To make musical sounds with your voice.

I really want to sing in the school choir.
2

verb
To perform a song using words and a tune.

She sang a lullaby to the baby.
3

verb
(of a bird) to make pleasant musical sounds.

The nightingale was singing outside the window.

Thesaurus

Opposites

lip-syncmime mouth

Word family

Forms sangsingssung

Derived forms all-singing-and-dancingbesingcountersingfilksingforesingforsingmis-singoutsingoversingresingsing-alongsing-in

Related forms jook-singsing-singsinge singersinghsong

Common collocations

sing a song Verb + noun

Etymology

From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”).

*sengʷʰ- Proto-Indo-European singen Middle English singan Old English *singwan Proto-West Germanic *singwaną Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

# sing

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** sɪŋ
**Frequency rank:** 786

## Meanings
1. To make musical sounds with your voice.
2. To perform a song using words and a tune.
3. (of a bird) to make pleasant musical sounds.

## Examples
- I really want to sing in the school choir.
- She sang a lullaby to the baby.
- The nightingale was singing outside the window.

## Antonyms
- lip-sync
- mime
- mouth

## Derived Forms
- all-singing-and-dancing
- besing
- countersing
- filksing
- foresing
- forsing
- mis-sing
- outsing
- oversing
- resing
- sing-along
- sing-in

## Related Forms
- jook-sing
- sing-sing
- singe
- singer
- singh
- song

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sengʷʰ-
- Root: singen
- Root: singan
- Root: *singwan
- Root: *singwaną

## Etymology
From Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”).

## AI Etymology
Sing is from Middle English singen, from Old English singan (“to sing”), from Proto-West Germanic *singwan, from Proto-Germanic *singwaną (“to sing”), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- (“to recite, sing”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian sjunge (“to sing”), West Frisian sjonge (“to sing”), Dutch zingen (“to sing”), German Low German singen (“to sing”), German singen (“to sing”), Danish synge (“to sing”), Swedish sjunga (“to sing”), Icelandic syngja (“to sing”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”). Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ-, Middle English singen, Old English singan, Proto-West Germanic *singwan, Proto-Germanic *singwaną. In current use it includes senses such as To make musical sounds with your voice and To perform a song using words and a tune.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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sing

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