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
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025
Noel’s songs of hope, friendship, and joy, combined with his ability to write gorgeously sad chord progressions and hymns as sung by his brother, are needed now more than ever.
—Lori Majewski, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hymn
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Noun
A lot of the Shaker hymns are just total bangers.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 24 Nov. 2025
Noel’s songs of hope, friendship, and joy, combined with his ability to write gorgeously sad chord progressions and hymns as sung by his brother, are needed now more than ever.
—Lori Majewski, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2025
Verb
Happiness, as hymned in these renditions, would never be won easily.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for hymn
Cite this Entry
“Hymn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hymn. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
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