Hymn

/hɪm/

nounBeginnerCommonArts

Definitions

2 meanings
1

A song of praise, especially one sung to God.

/hɪm/

nounpositiveBeginner
Arts

A religious song or poem of praise.

We sang a hymn at the beginning of the church service.

💡 Simply: A hymn is like a special, happy song people sing to show how much they love and respect God or something special. Imagine singing a song that makes you feel good about life, like a hymn!

👶 For kids: A hymn is a special song to sing to God.

More Examples

2

The choir's performance of the hymn was truly moving.

3

The hymn's lyrics celebrated the wonders of creation.

How It's Used

Religious

"The congregation sang a beautiful hymn during the service."

Literary

"The poet wrote a hymn to the beauty of nature."

2

To praise or celebrate something with a hymn; to sing a hymn about.

/hɪm/

verbpositivemedium
Arts

To praise or glorify, typically in song.

The poet hymned the beauty of the natural world.

💡 Simply: To hymn something is like writing or singing a song to give something a lot of praise and make it sound really good. It's like saying, 'Wow, this is amazing!' in a musical way. It makes you really happy about something, like a delicious cake!

👶 For kids: To hymn something is to sing a special song about it to show how much you like it.

More Examples

2

The crowd hymned the victorious team after the game.

3

They hymned the virtues of peace and cooperation.

How It's Used

Formal

"The poet hymned the beauty of the countryside."

Religious

"The choir hymned the Lord in their performance."

Tip:Think of 'hymn' and connect it to 'sing praise'. The verb form emphasizes the act of singing a hymn.

Idioms & expressions

Singing from the same hymn sheet

To agree with someone else and express the same opinions or views.

"The company's executives are singing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to their growth strategy."

From Greek *hymnos* meaning 'song of praise'. It entered English through Latin.

Historically, hymns were a central element of religious worship, often composed and sung collectively within a community.

Memory tip

Think of the word as 'Him-Song' – a song dedicated to Him (God).

Base: hymn
himhymhymnes

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written