Looking up...
praise
/preɪz/
express approval or admiration
The teacher praised the student for his excellent work.
The teacher expressed approval of the student's excellent work.
general
To express approval or admiration for someone or something
She praised her team for their hard work.
She expressed admiration for her team's hard work.
The critics praised the movie for its stunning visuals.
The critics expressed approval of the movie's stunning visuals.
Can be used in both formal and informal contexts.
religious
To glorify or worship (religious context)
They praised God for His mercy.
They worshipped God for His mercy.
Often used in religious or spiritual contexts.
Collocations
praise someone for somethingexpress approval of someone's actions or qualitiespraise to the heavensextremely high praisesing someone's praisesspeak highly of someone
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Collocations
Praise is often followed by 'for' when specifying what is being praised.
Gold Rule
Transitive and Intransitive Use
Praise can be used both with and without an object.
Word Origin
From Middle English 'preisen', from Old French 'preisier', from Latin 'pretium' meaning 'price, value'.
Usage Notes
Can be used as both a transitive verb (requires an object) and an intransitive verb (does not require an object).
Word Breakdown
praise
to express approval or admiration
rootEnglish Dictionary