1
a
: a song of praise to God
sing a hymn of thanksgiving
b
: a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service
a book of hymns
2
: a song of praise or joy
in jolly hymns they praise the god of wine—
John Dryden
John Dryden3
: something resembling a song of praise : paean
The novel is a hymn to childhood and innocence.
: to praise or worship in or as if in hymns (see hymn entry 1)
the heroes who are hymned in this book
: to sing a song that praises God : to sing a hymn
listening to the choir hymn
Examples of hymn in a Sentence
Noun
sing a hymn of praise
our Sunday church services always open with a hymn
Verb
during the honeymoon following the inauguration, newspaper articles seemed to hymn the president's every move
Recent Examples on the Web
Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
The bill drew the most heated public protests of the legislative session, with protestors often shutting down committee meetings through reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or singing hymns.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
His own work reflects a lifelong love of reading in many genres, and his books brim with the testimonies of poets, artists, and mystics who hymn the delights of sentience.
—Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hymn
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Noun
Their journey continued to Caen and the Normandy region, and included a visit to the beaches and to the Normandy American Cemetery to sing our national anthem and hymns, and also to lay a wreath.
—Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
The bill drew the most heated public protests of the legislative session, with protestors often shutting down committee meetings through reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or singing hymns.
—Melissa Brown, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Verb
Holst leaves the listener in the far removes of outer space, with Neptune being a study in musical mysticism, highlighted by a hidden hymning women’s chorus, as if heard from a mysterious distance.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
His own work reflects a lifelong love of reading in many genres, and his books brim with the testimonies of poets, artists, and mystics who hymn the delights of sentience.
—Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hymn
Cite this Entry
“Hymn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hymn. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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