god

1 of 2

noun

ˈgäd How to pronounce god (audio)
 also  ˈgȯd
plural gods
1
God : the supreme or ultimate reality: such as
a
: the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshipped (as in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism) as creator and ruler of the universe
Throughout the patristic and medieval periods, Christian theologians taught that God created the universe …Jame Schaefer
… the Supreme Being or God, the personal form of the Ultimate Reality, is conceived by Hindus as having various aspects.Sunita Pant Bansal
b
Christian Science : the incorporeal divine Principle ruling over all as eternal Spirit : infinite Mind
2
or less commonly God : a being or object that is worshipped as having more than natural attributes and powers
specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
Greek gods of love and war
3
: a person or thing of supreme value
had photos of baseball's gods pinned to his bedroom wall
4
: a powerful ruler
Hollywood gods that control our movies' fates

god

2 of 2

verb

godded; godding

transitive verb

: to treat as a god : idolize, deify

Examples of god in a Sentence

Noun Does she believe in God? I pray to God that no one was seriously injured in the accident. the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt a myth about the god of war an offering for the gods a professor who was regarded as a kind of god a guitar god like Jimi Hendrix
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Lincoln loved Stanton’s devotion to the Union, even nicknaming him Mars after the Roman god of war. Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 But that’s just a small glimpse into a man seen as a sports hero in America and as a god in his native Puerto Rico. Stephen Rodrick, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 In the musical, a new ending imagines Dawn and Brad as mythological figures — gods, really — storming across a fantastic, scarlet-colored hellscape where pillars of honest-to-God fire illuminate their literal battle of the sexes. Erik Piepenburg, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 This week, the quiz gods bestowed upon us topics that led to several rewarding internet rabbit holes. Holly J. Morris, NPR, 23 Feb. 2024 In Princess Mononoke, the destruction of a forest incites an epic battle among animals, gods, and humans. Nina Li Coomes, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2024 Before answering the question, note that the word in question is not demonic, from the Greek word daimon, meaning a deity (remember that the Greek gods were notoriously jealous and greedy), but demotic, from the Greek word demos, meaning the people — the same root as democratic. Michael Barone, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 The ancient Romans observed Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival held Feb. 13-15 and dedicated to the Roman god of Agriculture, Faunus. Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Then the basketball gods, in their infinite cruelty, turned Steph Curry’s ankle. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'god.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German got god

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1595, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of god was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near god

Cite this Entry

“God.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/god. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

god

noun
ˈgäd,
 also  ˈgȯd
1
capitalized : the supreme or almighty reality
especially : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness whom people worship as creator and ruler of the universe
2
: a being believed to have more than human powers
ancient peoples worshipped many gods
3
: a physical object (as an image or idol) worshipped as divine
4
: something held to be the most important thing in existence
make a god of money
godhood
-ˌhu̇d
noun
godlike
-ˌlīk
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on god

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!