# Sung

/ˈsəŋ/ (US) · /sˈʌŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sung
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. past participle of sing

verb · CEFR A2

the form of 'sing' used after 'have', 'has', or 'had'.

For teachers: the past participle of the irregular verb 'sing'.

- She has sung in the church choir for over ten years.
- By the time the curtain fell, the lead soprano had sung three demanding arias with flawless technique.

### 2. simple past of sing

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Dialect

an older or regional way to say 'sang'.

For teachers: an archaic or dialectal variant of the simple past 'sang'.

- In the old folk tale, the bird sung a beautiful melody to the king.
- The poet employed the archaic form 'sung' to maintain the meter and evoke a sense of historical gravitas in the opening stanza.

Usage: In modern standard English, 'sang' is the only accepted simple past form.

## Examples

- The Sung dynasty is famous for its beautiful green pottery.
- Historians often study the Sung period to understand how early paper currency changed the way people traded goods.
- The transition from the Tang to the Sung dynasty marked a shift toward a more centralized civil administration and a flourishing of Neo-Confucian thought that influenced East Asia for centuries.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.