consecrate

1 of 2

adjective

con·​se·​crate ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt 

: dedicated to a sacred purpose

consecrate

2 of 2

verb

consecrated; consecrating

transitive verb

1

: to induct (a person) into a permanent office with a religious rite

especially : to ordain to the office of bishop

2

a

: to make or declare sacred

especially : to devote irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony

consecrate a church

b

: to effect the liturgical transubstantiation of (eucharistic bread and wine)

c

: to devote to a purpose with or as if with deep solemnity or dedication

3

: to make inviolable or venerable

principles consecrated by the weight of history

consecrative

ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrā-tiv 

adjective

consecrator

ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrā-tər 

noun

consecratory

ˈkän(t)-si-krə-ˌtȯr-ē 

-ˌkrā-tə-rē

adjective

Synonyms

Adjective

• holy
• sacred
• consecrated

Verb

• dedicate
• devote
• save

Choose the Right Synonym for consecrate

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of consecrate in a Sentence

Adjective

the consecrate gold tablets which Joseph Smith claimed to have found

Verb

a philanthropist who consecrated his considerable fortune to an array of charitable causes

plans to consecrate the altar in the new church with great ceremony

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Lana Del Rey doesn’t toy with signs—of American glamour and its decay, of female melancholia and racial desire—so much as consecrate them. —Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2023

Verb

The zenith of the SSPX’s feud with the Vatican followed Lefebvre’s decision in 1988 to illicitly consecrate four bishops without Rome’s approval and in explicit disregard of warnings from then-Pope John Paul II. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2025

Some of these caves have fireplaces, and some were consecrated and used as churches, known as rupestre. —Aileen Weintraub, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Adjective

Middle English, from Latin consecratus, past participle of consecrare, from com- + sacrare to consecrate — more at sacred

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing consecrate

• consecrate oneself

Rhymes for consecrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

consecrate

verb

con·​se·​crate

ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt

consecrated; consecrating

1

: to make or declare sacred : to set apart to the service of God

2

: to devote to a purpose in a very sincere manner

Etymology

Verb

Middle English consecraten "to consecrate," derived from Latin consecrare "to make holy," from con-, com- "together" and sacrare "to consecrate," from sacr-, sacer "sacred" — related to sacred