Words and Expressions Related to Singing
Music is known as the "universal language," meaning everyone understands it, even if our native languages are completely different.
Singing is one of the major ways we make music, so it's important to be able to talk about it with your conversation partners. However, "sing" is only the simplest way to express this idea.
This article will introduce other ways for talking about this important form of communication. So grab your microphone and let's go!
Words related to singing
Vocalize
Vocalizing is making sounds with one's voice. Although it is often used when talking about singing, it is not limited to only music.
She started to vocalize a beautiful melody that captured everybody's attention.
Babies can vocalize before they can form real words.
Serenade
Serenading someone is singing to them as a way to express love.
He serenaded his girlfriend under the balcony with a romantic song.
Scat
Scatting is a form of jazz improvisation in which the singer sings using sounds with no meaning.
The jazz singer impressed the audience with her incredible scatting.
Hum
Humming is basically singing while your mouth is closed. When humming, the sound comes from your throat instead of your mouth. It's very useful when you don't know the words to a song!
He couldn't stop humming the song that had been stuck in his head all day.
We also use this word to describe a low, constant sound that comes from large crowds or from machines while they are operating.
The house was silent except for the hum of the small fan.
Chant
Chanting is singing in a repeating rhythm or tone. It is often done in religious forms of music.
The monks chanted ancient songs inside the old temple.
Trill
Trilling is singing by switching back and forth between two different notes quickly.
She woke up to the sound of birds trilling outside her bedroom window.
Harmonize
Harmonizing is singing a note or notes that work well with notes another person is singing at the same time. It is the verb form of the noun "harmony."
This song can't be sung properly alone; you'll need someone else to harmonize with.
Lip-sync
People lip-sync when they move their lips as if they are singing even though they are actually not making any sounds.
Her lip-syncing was so believable that the audience didn't realize it was listening to a recording instead of a live performance.
Idioms and expressions related to singing
Carry a tune
If you can "carry a tune," it means you can sing with the correct pitch. Not everyone can do this!
Although she's not a professional singer, she can definitely carry a tune.
Belt (it) out
"Belting out" a song means to sing with all of your strength and energy.
When her favorite song came on, she couldn't stop herself from belting it out.
Sing one’s heart out
This is similar to the previous expression, but it has the nuance of singing with much more emotion and feeling.
We all sang our hearts out at the karaoke party.
Hit the high notes
This simple expression means to reach the high notes of a song.
The singer impressed everyone when she hit the high notes perfectly.
Hit the right note
Although it's related to singing, this is actually used in other situations to mean that something is appropriate or accurate.
The comedian's jokes always hit the right note and make the audience explode with laughter.
Sing a different tune
This expression means that someone has changed their opinion or attitude about something.
He didn't like the idea yesterday, but today he's singing a different tune and seems to support it.
It is often used with a critical or sarcastic tone.
They all love the city now, but they'll be singing a different tune when they experience the cold winters here.
In harmony (with ~)
Here's another expression related to harmony. If two or more people are working well together, we can say they are "in harmony" with each other.
We won't be able to complete this project unless we're all working in harmony with our teammates.
Mic drop
"Mic" is short for "microphone." This is a strong gesture or expression that emphasizes a bold statement or performance. It means the speaker did or said something so powerful that he or she can confidently drop the microphone and leave the stage.
Wrap-up
Everybody loves music, so it’s no surprise that there are so many ways to talk about it. Learning new ways to describe actions and ideas will make your conversations much more expressive and fun. So please be sure to give these words and expressions a try the next time you get the chance!
Written by Sana, adapted by David
