praise

1 of 2

verb

praised; praising

transitive verb

1
: to express a favorable judgment of : commend
2
: to glorify (a god or saint) especially by the attribution of perfections

intransitive verb

: to express praise
praiser noun

praise

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an expression of approval : commendation
b
2
a
b
archaic : one that is praised

Examples of praise in a Sentence

Verb Critics praised her as both an actor and director. A good teacher praises students when they do well. We praise God for your safe arrival. People gather in churches to praise the Lord. Noun He deserves praise for the way he's handled this crisis. “Good job” is high praise coming from her. She rarely compliments anyone's work. I have nothing but praise for the hospital staff. People gathered in the church to sing praises to the Lord.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In the 2016 interview, Arnault praised Jobs’ long-term vision—a mindset shared by the Frenchman in his quest to bring his heritage houses into the future. Jasmine Li, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 In his interview, coach Reid praised her presence in the team's fanbase. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2024 After a week of meetings — where lawmakers (nominally) debate the policies and (more often) praise the top leadership — the work report is passed, usually with only cosmetic changes. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 Following the harrowing rescue of a semi-truck driver who was stuck dangling over the Clark Memorial Bridge in Kentucky, the city's fire chief praised the first responders for their daring rescue. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2024 After sentencing, Washington County District Attorney Tony Jordan praised the testimony and composure of the young people who had been with Gillis the night she was killed. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 Chen’s attorney Andrew C. Phillips praised the decision. Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 On an episode of The Kardashians that aired last summer, Kris praised Khloé for keeping the young ones in their tribe connected at Dream’s birthday party. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024 Navalny’s death is a direct challenge to U.S. politicians who praise Putin, as well as the legislators who are helping him by blocking aid to Ukraine. Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
Noun
In the comments section, Landon received tons of praise for sharing his diagnosis on his platform. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 And the cascade of praise and recognition from other awards-giving bodies (notably SAG), in addition to the numerous moving speeches Gladstone has given already, has primed her to walk away with a statuette come Oscar night. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2024 General Patton, an intimidating, hard-to-please presence like his father, found General Bahnsen worthy of praise. Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Give praise when praise is warranted and correct when needed, both in the appropriate proportions for the mission. Zach Fuller, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The week began poorly when, on Sunday, PBS celebrated Black History Month with an interview that included, among other things, praise for the infamous former Black Panther Assata Shakur. Becket Adams, National Review, 25 Feb. 2024 San Mateo County has garnered criticism from some – and praise from others – for adopting a harsher approach to homeless encampments compared to other counties in the Bay Area. Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 Critics have been split on both movies but there’s been universal praise for Reinsve, whether as the radiant Ingrid in A Different Man, a sort-of love interest for the two male leads (Sebastian Stan as Edward and Adam Pearson’s Oswald). Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Feb. 2024 Barrino's co-star Taraji P. Henson also seemed to sing Randolph's praises and gave the winner a loving squeeze on the hand before getting pulled elsewhere in the bustling venue. USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'praise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English preisen, from Anglo-French preiser, priser to appraise, esteem — more at prize

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of praise was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near praise

Cite this Entry

“Praise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/praise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

praise

verb
ˈprāz
praised; praising
1
: to express approval of : commend
2
: to glorify (a god or a saint) especially in song
praise noun
Etymology

Verb

Middle English preisen "to praise," from early French preisier, priser "to praise, prize," from Latin pretiare "to prize," from earlier pretium (noun) "price, money" — related to price

More from Merriam-Webster on praise

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