praise

praise — verb

1. to say clearly that a person, action, or thing is very good and deserves approva

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to say clearly that a person, action, or thing is very good and deserves approval.

Example

The coach praised Mia for staying calm in the final minute.

praise + person for + -ing

After dinner, Grandpa praised the soup and asked for more.

Common collocations
  • praise a student
  • praise someone for hard work
  • publicly praise a player
  • highly praise a report
Synonyms
  • compliment

    often used for polite personal remarks about appearance, behaviour, or small successes

  • commend

    more formal; common in official comments about effort or service

  • applaud

    often suggests strong public approval, sometimes with clapping

Antonyms
  • criticize

    point out faults instead of speaking well of someone or something

  • blame

    say that someone is responsible for something bad

Grammar Patterns

praise + person/thing

praise + person for + noun/-ing

be praised for + noun/-ing

Usage Note

Often takes a person or thing as the direct object, with 'for' to add the reason. Distinguish from sense 2, which is specifically about honouring a god.

Common Mistakes

The teacher praised to Amy after class.
The teacher praised Amy after class.
'praise' takes a direct object, not 'to'.

2. to honour a god by speaking or singing with deep respect, love, and thanks.

2.verbtransitive
Definition

to honour a god by speaking or singing with deep respect, love, and thanks.

Example

At sunrise, the monks praised God with a slow song.

praise + God/deity

In the temple, families praised the goddess at the spring festival.

Common collocations
  • praise God
  • praise the Lord
  • praise with song
  • praise in prayer
Synonyms
  • worship

    broader; includes prayer, ritual, and other acts besides speaking or singing

  • glorify

    more formal and often stresses giving great honour

  • adore

    can be religious, but is also used more widely in everyday speech

Grammar Patterns

praise + God/deity

praise + God/deity with + song/prayer

Usage Note

The object is usually God, the Lord, or the name of another deity. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about showing approval of people or things.

Common Mistakes

They praised to God in church.
They praised God in church.
this sense also takes a direct object.

praise — noun

Word family

  • praiseworthy
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For verb/1, praise is a broad word for saying that a person's action, quality, or work is very good. Compliment is narrower and often more personal: you compliment someone on a haircut, a meal, or polite behaviour. Commend is more formal and often appears in reports, school comments, or public statements about effort and duty. Applaud can include actual clapping, and it often suggests open public approval of a decision or performance. Admire is quieter: you may admire someone deeply without saying anything, but praise must be expressed. For example, a teacher might praise Leo's essay, a friend might compliment his jacket, and the mayor might commend the firefighters.

compliment ↗commendapplaud ↗admire ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • words of praise

Phrases

  • praise somebody for something
  • full of praise

Prepositions

  • praise for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Praise came into English from Old French forms such as preisier or prisier, from Late Latin pretiare, based on Latin pretium meaning 'price' or 'value'. The earliest idea was to put a high value on something. From that, English developed the sense of speaking well of a person or thing, and later the noun for approving or worshipful words.