noun
-
a Christian song of praise sung to God or a saint
-
a similar song praising other gods, a nation, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
- hymner noun
- hymnic adjective
- hymnlike adjective
- unhymned adjective
Etymology
Origin of hymn
before 1000; < Latin hymnus < Greek hýmnos song in praise of gods or heroes; replacing Middle English ymne (< Old French ) and Old English ymn (< Late Latin ymnus )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two years later, near the end of my training, I was sitting in church, listening to the choir sing something beautiful, though I do not recall the precise hymn.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
Their presence may allude to the hymn “Panis Angelicus,” or “bread of angels,” written by St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century as a poetic reference to the presence of Christ in the consecrated host.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
His hymn to Aten is an exercise in majesty, an ode not just to the sun but to the expanses in which our solar system circulates.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026
The Belgian government is singing from the same hymn sheet.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
I refused to say it the southern hymn way—“the sweet by-and-by.”
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
