worship

1 of 2

verb

wor·​ship ˈwər-shəp How to pronounce worship (audio)
 also  ˈwȯr-
worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping

transitive verb

1
: to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power
2
: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
a celebrity worshipped by her fans

intransitive verb

: to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship
worshipper noun
or less commonly worshiper

worship

2 of 2

noun

1
: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power
also : an act of expressing such reverence
2
: a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual
3
: extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem
worship of the dollar
4
chiefly British : a person of importance
used as a title for various officials (such as magistrates and some mayors)
Choose the Right Synonym for worship

revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.

revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

a professor revered by her students

reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring.

reverenced the academy's code of honor

venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

heroes still venerated

worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

worships their memory

adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

we adored our doctor

Examples of worship in a Sentence

Verb Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun and moon. They worship at this temple. I worship God in my own way. Noun worship of gods and goddesses Worship services are held daily. the media's worship of celebrities
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The number of Democrats who worshiped at the Stalinist altar was never more than a sliver of the party. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Personal choice, so devoutly worshiped in our society, may not be the final locus of freedom after all. Benjamin Dubow, Longreads, 20 Feb. 2024 Despite his efforts to keep his son Prahlad from worshiping Vishnu, the Hindu protector of the universe, Prahlad persisted. Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 3 Feb. 2024 By cloaking their gods in the guise of Catholic saints, the enslaved in Cuba could continue to worship as their forebearers in Benin and Congo had done. Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 29 Jan. 2024 Selassie is also a central figure to Rastafarians in ways that puzzle some outsiders: How can Rastas worship a Black political figure who was also seen by some as a dictator? John Blake, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 When Pastor Frank Wulf thinks about his congregation being unable to worship in their home of 100 years, he is reminded of the Old Testament scripture of the Israelites in exile. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 There are jokes about Chinese people looking alike and Chinese shopkeepers being rude and jokes about going from worshipping Buddha to worshipping Messi. Lautaro Grinspan, NBC News, 2 Feb. 2024 The risks of worshipping work There are perils to treating work like a religion. Theara Coleman, theweek, 29 Jan. 2024
Noun
Christ Church on East Fourth Street and St. Francis Xavier Church at Sixth and Sycamore streets are the only Bottoms-era houses of worship still around. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 3 Mar. 2024 But as the number of Americans with no religious affiliation has grown from 5 percent to almost 30 percent in recent decades, many faith communities have used nontraditional forms of worship to engage members. Marisa Iati, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 The former religious leader of Renaissance Unity church in Warren spoke at several houses of worship in Michigan over the past week, including the Michigan Psychedelic Society, Church of the Messiah in Detroit, and the Theosophical Society in Detroit in Berkley. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024 Dana Taylor: Is the push to save historic Black churches primarily to preserve them as historical sites, to restore them as active houses of worship, or both? Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 25 Feb. 2024 Both places of worship are built in the Sudanic-Sahelian architectural style, with softly sloping pyramid towers and domes, studded with palm sticks. Kate Matthams, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 The transition from house of wonder to house of worship makes practical sense— cinemas have plenty of seats pointing in the same direction, and they’re equipped with speaker systems, which come in handy for priests to spread the gospel. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 But most of the resplendent old churches, pagodas, and monasteries were now derelict shells or razed to the ground—the Khmer Rouge had demolished many places of worship. Chantha Nguon, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Feb. 2024 In Hinduism, there are many gods, many holy places, and many styles of worship. Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English worþschipen, worschepen, worshippen "to hold in honor, esteem, show respect for, revere (a deity), conduct religious rites," derivative of wurðscip, worschip "honor, esteem, religious faith, rank, value" — more at worship entry 2

Noun

Middle English wurðscip, worschip "honor, esteem, renown, veneration, religious faith, a person's social standing, rank, value," going back to Old English weorþscipe, wurþscipe "honor, esteem, veneration, dignity," from weorþ, wyrþ, as noun "value" and as adjective "valuable, having status, deserving" + -scipe -ship — more at worth entry 1, worth entry 3

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler
The first known use of worship was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near worship

Cite this Entry

“Worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worship. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

worship

1 of 2 noun
wor·​ship ˈwər-shəp How to pronounce worship (audio)
1
chiefly British : an important person
used as a title for some officials
2
a
: great respect toward a divine being or supernatural power
b
: the outward showing of such respect
3
: too great admiration or devotion
worship of money

worship

2 of 2 verb
worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping
1
: to honor or respect as a divine being or supernatural power
2
: to treat with too great respect, honor, or devotion : idolize
worshipped popular singers
3
: to perform or take part in worship
worshipper noun
or worshiper
Etymology

Noun

Middle English worshipe "worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being," from Old English weorthscipe "worthiness, respect," from weorth "worth, worthy" and -scipe "-ship (quality, condition)"

More from Merriam-Webster on worship

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