praise

verb \ ˈprāz \

Definition of praise

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

See praise defined for English-language learners

See praise defined for kids

Examples of praise in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of praise from the Web

Dara Khosrowshahi addressed employees for first time Wednesday Kalanick praises his successor in emotional transfer of power One of Dara Khosrowshahi’s first tasks at Uber Technologies Inc. will be coming up with a new set of core principles.

— eric newcomer, Bloomberg.com, "New Uber CEO Hints at 2019 IPO as He Takes Over Troubled Startup," 30 Aug. 2017
The ouster followed a blog post by Lynn that praised the European Commission's June decision to fine Google (goog, +0.43%) $2.7 billion for breaching antitrust rules.

— robert hackett, Fortune, "Google-Funded Think Tank Disputes Why It Booted Antitrust Crusader," 30 Aug. 2017
The Bachelor alum took to Instagram on Monday to recognize and praise the many volunteers — including her husband, Sean — who have helped victims of the natural disaster.

— natalie stone, PEOPLE.com, "Catherine Giudici Lowe Praises Husband Sean & the 'Amazing' Volunteers Who Are Helping Hurricane Harvey Victims," 30 Aug. 2017
Her departure from College Park earlier this year caused some frustration among parents, who praised her skills, particularly her ability to speak English, Spanish and some Mandarin.

— bradley zint, Daily Pilot, "New principals are coming to coastal Orange County schools," 29 Aug. 2017
Some praised the Packers' taste in fine wine, including seven bottles of Lafite Rothschild.

— ben steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Packers offensive lineman David Bakhtiari creates stir with fake bill," 28 Aug. 2017
Bayern Munich defender Mats Hummels sparked excitement on Twitter after praising Liverpool's impressive performance in Sunday's 4-0 victory against Arsenal.

— SI.com, "Bayern Munich Defender Gets Liverpool Fans All Excited After He Applauds Reds on Twitter," 28 Aug. 2017
Danielson praised the hiring of Ed Orgeron, noting the teams' attitude seemed to have waned under former coach Les Miles.

— john roach, NOLA.com, "LSU's 2 big weaknesses are obvious to CBS' Gary Danielson," 24 Aug. 2017
The city’s stepped-up enforcement of noise limits had been widely praised this year by city residents, especially those who live on or near the city's long frontage on Woodward Avenue.

— bill laitner, Detroit Free Press, "Royal Oak backs off strict noise limits after legal challenge to Dream Cruise tickets," 24 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of praise

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

praise Synonyms

Synonyms

bless, carol, celebrate, emblazon, exalt, extol (also extoll), glorify, hymn, laud, magnify, resound

Antonyms

knock, pan, slam

Related Words

adore, belaud, deify, idolize, worship; acclaim, applaud, commend, compliment, hail, renown, salute; chant, cheer, eulogize, rhapsodize; cite; flatter; crack up, recommend, tout

Near Antonyms

blame, censure, reprehend, reprobate; criticize, reprove; admonish, chide, keelhaul, rebuke, reprimand, reproach; castigate, lambaste (or lambast)

praise

noun

Definition of praise

1 a :an expression of approval :commendation

b :worship

2 a :value, merit

b archaic :one that is praised

See praise defined for English-language learners

Examples of praise in a Sentence

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 of praise from the Web

CBS immediately inked him to a deal, with Romo earning instant praise from new booth partner Jim Nantz.

— ben steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "New CBS broadcaster Tony Romo will call back-to-back Packers games," 30 Aug. 2017
And that strategy continues to earn praise from industry analysts.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Best Buy Just Had Its Best Quarter in Seven Years," 29 Aug. 2017
But the university has received praise from Republican leaders in the legislature, which pays the university’s bills.

— jane stancill, charlotteobserver, "UNC trustee leaders defend Folt for not removing Silent Sam Confederate statue," 25 Aug. 2017
Taichman is only the latest scholar to speculate about the fate of the Franklin Expedition, but his work has met praise from some of his predecessors.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "A Dentist Weighs in On What Really Doomed the Franklin Expedition," 22 Aug. 2017
No matter what curriculum is being taught, parents of students in the Temple Sinai Religious School praise the school for its atmosphere.

— randall p. lieberman, Jewish Journal, "Delray religious school teaches about Jewish cuisine," 3 Aug. 2017
CHICAGO — An exceptionally newsy day in the American soccer news cycle included some high praise for Futbol Club Cincinnati from Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber.

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "MLS commish: 'What's happening in Cincinnati is remarkable'," 2 Aug. 2017
Praise for terrorists isn’t limited to Sarsour or to the Women’s March; Black Lives Matter has gotten in on the action, too.

— david french, National Review, "Media, Tell the Truth: The Women’s March and Black Lives Matter Embrace Terrorists," 19 July 2017
The video opens with a formerly deaf man singing the praises of his implants.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "To woo public, Europe opens up on animal experiments, but U.S. less transparent," 14 July 2017

First Known Use of praise

14th century

PRAISE Defined for English Language Learners

praise

verb

Definition of praise for English Language Learners

: to say or write good things about (someone or something) : to express approval of (someone or something)
: to express thanks to or love and respect for (God)

praise

noun

Definition of praise for English Language Learners

: spoken or written words about the good qualities of someone or something : an expression of approval for someone or something
: an expression of thanks to or love and respect for God