bless

verb

ˈbles

blessed ˈblest

also blest ˈblest

; blessing

Synonyms of bless next

transitive verb

religion : to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word

asked the priest to bless their marriage

Bless this home.

religion : to hallow with the sign of the cross

He blessed himself before liftoff.

: to invoke divine care for

bless your heart

—used in the phrase bless you to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed

: praise, glorify

bless his holy name

: to speak well of : approve

: to confer prosperity or happiness upon

God has blessed us with four children.

archaic : protect, preserve

Bless me from marrying a usurer!—

Shakespeare

: endow, favor

blessed with athletic ability

Examples of bless in a Sentence

The priest blessed their marriage at the wedding. The water for the baptism has been blessed. The priest blessed the baby I held in my arms.

Recent Examples on the Web No French president would ever suggest that God bless France. —

Roger Cohen, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023 Throughout the day, each cultural group performed a ceremonial dance to bless the Willamette, hoping to set a good example for future generations. —

Austindedios, oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023 The rain briefly cleared at 7 pm, blessing the playa hippies with a double rainbow, before starting up again and continuing through the night until 6 am. —

Alden Wicker, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023 And if that’s the case, he and the Auburn defense have been blessed — especially relative to last year, when the Tigers’ defense tallied just six interceptions and seven fumbles through the course of the entire season. —

Ainslie Lee | Alee@al.com, al, 17 Sep. 2023 Allison, however, has not been blessed with such a reckoning. —

Taylor Lorenz, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2023 Challah — the rich, traditional Jewish bread — is first blessed then served to start dinner for Rosh Hashana, the celebration of the New Year this year on Friday evening. —

Florence Fabricant, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2023 My girlfriends, bless them, had agreed to accompany me, eager to see the show unfold. —

Natalie Babcock, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2023 Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Grand Central Publishing Dawn by Octavia E. Butler Now 32% Off $13 at Amazon Octavia E. Butler blessed us with many iconic novels (most notably Kindred and Parable of the Sower). —

Juliana Ukiomogbe, ELLE, 8 Sep. 2023 See More

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