hymn

noun \ ˈhim \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of hymn

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

3 : something resembling a song of praise : paean

The novel is a hymn to childhood and innocence.

—

hymnlike

play \ˈhim-ˌlīk\ adjective

See hymn defined for English-language learners

See hymn defined for kids

Examples of hymn in a Sentence

sing a hymn of praise
our Sunday church services always open with a hymn

Recent Examples of hymn from the Web

Swelling African hymns by the Soweto Gospel Choir brought the thousands attending Wednesday’s memorial to their feet, swaying and singing.

— Washington Post, "Thousands gather for memorial for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela," 11 Apr. 2018
As horns blared and drums pounded in front of Jesus and two fellow prisoners, a group trailing behind them among the crowd could be heard singing church hymns in Spanish.

— jacob beltran, San Antonio Express-News, "Passion re-enactment turns back time downtown," 30 Mar. 2018
Nicolai composed the hymn on which the cantata was eventually based in 1598, while everything around him was dying at an alarming speed.

— mene ukueberuwa, WSJ, "A Song of Spiritual Awakening," 23 Mar. 2018
Wood remembers King as a jokester, a leader and a gifted vocalist who sang hymns in the dorm late at night.

— baltimoresun.com, "Remembering Martin Luther King: Baltimore reflects, 50 years after his death," 29 Mar. 2018
Drawn from the biblical parable of the 10 virgins, the hymn doesn’t ask listeners to passively wait for their grief to be erased.

— mene ukueberuwa, WSJ, "A Song of Spiritual Awakening," 23 Mar. 2018
The hymn was a favorite of Martin Luther King Jr.’s, who had requested that Mahalia Jackson — a gospel singer and friend of King’s — sing it at his funeral in April 1968.

— susie schmank, Indianapolis Star, "A playwright canceled her play in 2015, afraid she'd be sued. It's coming back this week.," 22 Mar. 2018
The Call to Worship and opening hymn were taken from the St. Patrick Breastplate, a prayer attributed to Ireland's patron saint.

— denise coffey, Courant Community, "Church Blesses, Delivers St. Patrick's Day Baskets To TEEG," 21 Mar. 2018
Holding candles and singing hymns, religious leaders from different denominations prayed together Tuesday night in Lexington Park for the victims at Great Mills High School.

— Fox News, "The Latest: Prayer vigil held after Maryland school shooting," 20 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hymn.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.