praise

verb \ ˈprāz \

|Updated on: 15 Jun 2018

Examples: praise in a Sentence

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

Six years ago, Mason was praised by village officials for her work in arresting five men who had savagely beaten patrons of a restaurant in the village.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Tinley deputy chief, lauded for nabbing 'Ashford 5,' ready to retire," 5 June 2018
Warner praised Facebook for moving to improve disclosures around political advertising, mimicking a bill Warner has cosponsored.

— tom simonite, WIRED, "Big Tech Trades Splashy Conference Demos for Introspection," 31 May 2018
School board President Michael Raczak, a former District 204 principal, praised Gorbatkin’s ability to make form a plan and carry it out seemlessly.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Retiring D204 assistant superintendent has seen district quadruple in size, go from old-school to high-tech," 25 May 2018
In the world of trendy diets, it's praised as a serious fat burner.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Can the Keto Diet Cause Rashes and Acne? Here's What the Experts Say," 23 May 2018
In an October interview with EE Times Carnegie Mellon safety expert Philip Koopman praised Mobileye for its transparency in laying out its assumptions.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Intel’s Mobileye wants to dominate driverless cars—but there’s a problem," 21 May 2018
Clarkson’s speech was well-received on social media, with many praising her strong stance and vulnerability.

— megan friedman, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson Opened the Billboard Music Awards With an Emotional Speech About the Santa Fe High School Shooting," 21 May 2018
The main grant-funding body for Hungarian science, praised for its independence and transparency in a recent European review, has been replaced by an agency that scientists worry is more susceptible to political influence.

— kata karáth, Science | AAAS, "Hungarian scientists are on edge as country is poised to force out top university," 10 May 2018
In a review of Pink's recent performance at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Melissa Ruggieri of AJC praised the splashy production values and Pink's ability to entertain.

— mary colurso, AL.com, "Pink's 'Beautiful Trauma' tour coming to Birmingham in 2019," 3 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

praise Synonyms

Phrases

doff one's hat to (or doff one's cap to);

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

The only known casualty of this year’s storm, his heroics drew praise from Kittleman, Hogan and Vice President Mike Pence, and others across the country.

— colin campbell, baltimoresun.com, "How Ellicott City flooded: A timeline," 1 June 2018
All throughout the Knights organization in Triple A, praise flows for Kopech’s grounded approach.

— dan wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "On his climb to the White Sox, Michael Kopech searching for a mental 'flow state'," 31 May 2018
Agriculture Commissioner Putnam and U.S. Rep. DeSantis praise Scott’s work but aren’t pounding on the same themes – and certainly not in Spanish.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Rick Scott seeks Hispanic votes as Trump blasts immigration," 29 May 2018
Daniels has all the tools—good size, a live arm, precocious leadership that draws praise from all his coaches.

— the si staff, SI.com, "Which Teams Won't Be Going Back to Their Conference Title Games?," 28 May 2018
Their prototype drew praise from executives throughout the company, including Chief Executive Satya Nadella, whose son Zain was born in 1996 with cerebral palsy.

— sarah e. needleman, WSJ, "Disabled Gamers Get a New Controller From Microsoft," 17 May 2018
Four off-duty Camp Pendleton Marines hiking in Los Angeles County drew praise today for happening upon an ailing hiker and carrying him to where a helicopter could airlift him to a hospital.

— city news service, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Camp Pendleton Marines help hiker with emergency in Los Angeles mountains," 14 May 2018
His announcement was widely criticized around the world but drew praise from Iran’s regional enemies, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

— New York Times, "Iran Rallies Against U.S. and Warns Europe Over Endangered Nuclear Deal," 11 May 2018
The audit also drew praise from the charter sector.

— patrick o'donnell, cleveland.com, "ECOT officials could face fraud charges for hiding data from state, Ohio Auditor Dave Yost says," 10 May 2018

First Known Use of praise

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

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