singsong

noun sing·song \ ˈsiŋ-ˌsȯŋ \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of singsong

1 : verse with marked and regular rhythm and rhyme

2 : a voice delivery marked by a narrow range or monotonous pattern of pitch

3 British : songfest

—

singsongy

play \ˈsiŋ-ˌsȯŋ-ē\ adjective

See singsong defined for English-language learners

See singsong defined for kids

Examples of singsong in a Sentence

They spoke in a singsong.

Recent Examples of singsong from the Web

For though the singsong lyrics could be understood by a 3-year-old, Johnsrud’s gentle melodic inflections and subtle turns of phrase took this music to a more meaningful level, no small feat.

— howard reich, chicagotribune.com, "Mister Rogers' music gets jazzed at Winter's Jazz Club," 23 Mar. 2018
His singsong delivery was sampled in a song by the Dave Matthews Band.

— campbell robertson, New York Times, "Arthur J. Robinson, Known as ‘Mr. Okra’ to New Orleans, Dies at 74," 19 Feb. 2018
Embodying ragtag park denizens, Mannes students meticulously captured Ashley’s singsong, half-speaking style and his deadpan ruefulness.

— the new york times, New York Times, "The Best Classical Music Performances of 2017," 6 Dec. 2017
Mashing together slang, jargon, pressurized lyricism, erudition, and singsong, he was often seen to court impenetrability in his search to conjure emotional textures rather than solid ideas.

— katy waldman, Slate Magazine, "John Ashbery’s Convex Mirror," 4 Sep. 2017
With his singsong voice echoing through the school’s P.A. system, Hunt talked about Jody Bradley, a first-grade teacher who had grown up in Chehalis and, at first, hadn’t considered higher education.

— katherine long, The Seattle Times, "Just 20% of kids got 4-year degrees, so Chehalis schools changed everything," 1 June 2017
Outside, an umbrella vendor trying to lure customers repeated a singsong, two-note chant, a narrow interval between G and the B above it.

— corey kilgannon, New York Times, "Character Study," 1 Dec. 2016

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

First Known Use of singsong

1609

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

singsong

adjective

Definition of singsong

: having a monotonous cadence or rhythm

Recent Examples of singsong from the Web

The singsong verse of the morality plays is countered by ribald cross talk delivered with naturalistic verve.

— jesse green, New York Times, "Review: ‘The Amateurs’ Takes On God, Noah’s Ark and the Plague. For Laughs.," 27 Feb. 2018
The stars’ heavy Irish dialects are accurate and lifelike, often with a lilting, singsong quality.

— Orange County Register, "‘Chapatti’ exceeds simplistic cat-versus-dog tale," 19 Jan. 2017
Sanders cooed, teasing the quarterback in a singsong voice that would have sounded right at home in a middle-school lunch room.

— mark kiszla, The Denver Post, "Kiszla: Here’s the real key to Siemian vs. Lynch competition for Broncos quarterback job," 23 May 2017
The film’s special music is that of Dickinson’s poems, which are heard, throughout, in recitations by Nixon that catch the glint of raging inner furies looming deep within the poems’ plain surfaces and lullingly singsong hymnal rhythms.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Terence Davies’s Truthful Fictions About Emily Dickinson," 19 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of singsong

1734

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SINGSONG Defined for English Language Learners

singsong

noun

Definition of singsong for English Language Learners

: a way of speaking in which the sound of your voice rises and falls in a pattern

SINGSONG Defined for Kids

singsong

noun sing·song \ ˈsiŋ-ˌsȯŋ \

Definition of singsong for Students

: a way of speaking in which the pitch of the voice rises and falls in a pattern

—

singsong

adjective

a singsong voice

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singsong

Definition of singsong

singsongy

Examples of singsong in a Sentence

Recent Examples of singsong from the Web

First Known Use of singsong

singsong

Definition of singsong

Recent Examples of singsong from the Web

First Known Use of singsong

SINGSONG Defined for English Language Learners

singsong

Definition of singsong for English Language Learners

SINGSONG Defined for Kids

singsong

Definition of singsong for Students

singsong

Learn More about singsong

Seen and Heard

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