deify

verb

de·​i·​fy ˈdē-ə-ˌfī  ˈdā- 

deified; deifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to make a god of

b

: to take as an object of worship

2

: to glorify as of supreme worth

Synonyms of deify

• adore
• worship
• like
• idolize

Examples of deify in a Sentence

The people deified the emperor.

materialistic people who deify money

Recent Examples on the Web

His resume speaks for itself — no need for the on-air cast to go overboard in deifying him. — Richard Deitsch, The Athletic, 21 Jan. 2025

Service could define you, even somewhat deify you today. — Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 1 Jan. 2026

Anyway, there was a tendency by some people to focus on a person and deify them and denigrate the others. — Chris Willman, Variety, 17 May 2026

As a consequence, people, still possessed by religious longings, tend to deify the country. — Ha Jin july 28, Literary Hub, 28 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French deifier, from Late Latin deificare, from Latin deus god + -ficare -fy

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for deify

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

deify

verb

de·​i·​fy ˈdē-ə-ˌfī 

deified; deifying

1

a

: to make a god of

Roman emperors were often deified

b

: to take as an object of worship

Druids deified oak trees

2

: to glorify as of supreme worth

deify money

deification

ˌdē-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən

noun