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

• 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

Nagbe has been blessed by his career. —Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025

Final thoughts Those blessed with very dark skies might even be able to continue following with just their unaided eyes until the first week of November. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2025

This cake stand has also been blessed by the queen of entertaining herself, Martha Stewart. —Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2025

And that's not just being blessed and lucky. —Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

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"