bless

verb

ˈbles 

blessed ˈblest  also blest ˈblest  ; blessing

transitive verb

1

religion : to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word

asked the priest to bless their marriage

Bless this home.

2

religion : to hallow with the sign of the cross

He blessed himself before liftoff.

3

: 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

4

a

: praise, glorify

bless his holy name

b

: to speak well of : approve

5

: to confer prosperity or happiness upon

God has blessed us with four children.

6

archaic : protect, preserve

Bless me from marrying a usurer!

—Shakespeare

7

: endow, favor

blessed with athletic ability

Synonyms of bless

• consecrate
• dedicate
• sanctify
• hallow

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

For kits that die in care, the staff holds a second ceremony to bless and scatter their ashes. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

New Balance 1080v15 Sneaker If you’ve been blessed twice — with supination and wide feet, that is — grabbing the 1080v15 from New Balance will kill two birds with one stone. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026

But not everyone is blessed like Leonardo DiCaprio to work with Martin Scorsese from the age of 20 or whatever. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026

Bonuses for deal registration that brings new pipeline rather than blesses existing opportunities. — Jason Atkins, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English blētsian, from blōd blood; from the use of blood in consecration

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bless

• bless my soul
• bless you
• God bless you

Rhymes for bless

• chess
• cress
• dress
• es
• ess
• esse
• fess
• guess
• jess
• less
• lesse
• mess

Kids Definition

bless

verb

ˈbles 

blessed ˈblest  also blest ˈblest  ; blessing

1

: to make holy : hallow

2

: to make the sign of the cross upon or over

3

: to ask divine care or protection for

4

: to praise or honor as holy

5

: to make successful or happy

6

: endow sense 2, favor

Etymology

Old English blētsian, blēdsian "to bless, to consecrate (originally with blood)," derived from blōd "blood"