anointed; anointing; anoints
1
: to smear or rub with oil or an oily substance
2
a
: to apply oil to as part of a religious ceremony
The priest anointed the sick.
b
: to choose by or as if by divine election
anoint him as his successor
also
: to designate as if by a ritual anointment
Critics have anointed her as an important new literary figure.
anointer
noun
Examples of anoint in a Sentence
The magazine anointed her the most popular actress of the year.
anoint the wound with antiseptic to prevent infection
Recent Examples on the Web
The Yankees loved Rice’s exit velocity throughout spring training and anointed hm into the DH mix when Giancarlo Stanton went down with tendon issues in both elbows.
—
Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Read more: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime
Ever since George W. Bush anointed Russia, Iran and North Korea as the Axis of Evil, the U.S. had failed to cripple its surge — until now.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 June 2025
With one more win, they’d be anointed as one of the greatest single-season teams in history.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The seven-foot-one-inch center Chet Holmgren, who was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the second pick of the 2022 N.B.A. draft, was immediately anointed as a star.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anoint
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Larry Fleisher, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Read more: How U.S. Strikes May Have Inadvertently Helped the Iranian Regime
Ever since George W. Bush anointed Russia, Iran and North Korea as the Axis of Evil, the U.S. had failed to cripple its surge — until now.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 22 June 2025
With one more win, they’d be anointed as one of the greatest single-season teams in history.
—David Aldridge, New York Times, 20 June 2025
The seven-foot-one-inch center Chet Holmgren, who was drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the second pick of the 2022 N.B.A. draft, was immediately anointed as a star.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for anoint
Cite this Entry
“Anoint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anoint. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
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