croon

verb

ˈkrün How to pronounce croon (audio)
crooned; crooning; croons
Synonyms of croon

intransitive verb

1
chiefly Scotland : bellow, boom
2
: to sing or speak in a gentle murmuring manner
The mother crooned as she rocked the baby.
especially : to sing in a soft intimate manner adapted to amplifying systems

transitive verb

: to sing (something, such as a popular song or a lullaby) in a crooning manner
… croons ballads that conjure up the tenderness of puppy love …—Joan Morgan
croon noun

Examples of croon in a Sentence

The mother crooned as she rocked the baby.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Social media videos of the tribute showed the crowd singing along as Musgraves crooned the 1977 hit. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Aug. 2026 In a profoundly prolific decade, Texas singer-songwriter Charley Crockett has refined a soulful country purview, crooning sweetly about love and perseverance in misfortune and yielding rave reviews and Grammy nominations. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026 Iglesias’s rico suave, international-playboy crooning style found its perfect counterpart in Parton’s fiery vocals. — Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 On a recent episode of Therapuss, all Jake Shane needed to say was the word Boston and the episode’s guest, singer Role Model, began to croon Lefty’s infectious chorus. — Abigail Sylvor Greenberg, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for croon

Word History

Etymology

Middle English croynen, from Middle Dutch cronen; akin to Old High German crōnen to chatter

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of croon was in the 15th century

Rhymes for croon

See All Rhymes for croon

Browse Nearby Words

croo monkey
croon
crooner
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Croon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/croon. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

croon

verb
ˈkrün How to pronounce croon (audio)
: to hum or sing in a low soft voice
croon a lullaby
croon noun
crooner noun

More from Merriam-Webster on croon

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for croon

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All