croon

verb

ˈkrün 

crooned; crooning; croons

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

Fan video of the special moment found Harlow, dressed in a dark double-breasted suit with a light blue shirt and black tie, expertly crooning the song over the sweep of strings to whoops of delight from the audience. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 2 Dec. 2024

With every command the singer crooned into the mic, his guitar wailed right back. —Mars Salazar, Austin American-Statesman, 15 Nov. 2024

Gordon back in black and white — and firing The Gallowgate corner crooned discordantly. —George Caulkin, The Athletic, 9 Aug. 2024

The cashier then turned to a pair of singing possums played by Kenan Thompson and Ego Nwodim, crooning The Lion King-style about how the milk comes from… well, a possum’s teat. —Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 2 Nov. 2024

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

Kids Definition

croon

verb

ˈkrün 

: to hum or sing in a low soft voice

croon a lullaby

croon noun

crooner noun