blessing

1 of 2

noun

bless·​ing ˈble-siŋ 

1

a

: the act or words of one that blesses

say the blessing over the wine

a priestly blessing

b

: approval, encouragement

asked her parents for their blessing before he proposed

2

: a thing conducive to happiness or welfare

My daughter is a blessing to me in my old age.

Their absence turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Count your blessings.

3

: grace (see grace entry 1 sense 4) said at a meal

said the blessing before dinner

blessing

2 of 2

present participle of bless

Synonyms of blessing

Noun

• prayer
• petition
• benediction
• benison
• plea

Examples of blessing in a Sentence

Noun

Presumably he was acting with the government's blessing.

They got married without their parents' blessing.

We asked the Lord's blessing on us and on our project.

He said a blessing before the meal.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For one Kansas City coffee shop, a video tarnishing the establishment ended up being a blessing in disguise. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

Mainland China companies wanting to list in Hong Kong also need the CSRC’s blessing. — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

With the blessing of the shrewd but motherly Headmistress Francis (Heather Alicia Simms), Paulina has decided to compete in the Miss Ghana 1986 pageant, hoping to reach the Miss Universe competition. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026

After liberation, Daniel’s family returned to Veria, counting their blessings as most of Greece’s Jewish community had been killed by German forces. — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

see bless

First Known Use

Noun

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

Phrases Containing blessing

• mixed blessing
• second blessing

Rhymes for blessing

• dressing
• guessing
• messing
• pressing
• stressing
• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing

Kids Definition

blessing

noun

bless·​ing

ˈbles-iŋ

1

: the act or words of one that blesses

2

: approval

gave my blessing to the plan

3

: something that makes one happy or content

4

: grace said at a meal