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
As the actor recalls, preparing to play Marvel’s god of mischief meant looking at unlikely movie characters for inspiration. Jp Mangalindan, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024 In a society that chases money, power, fame, and beauty, there are worse gods than longevity. Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024 These are similar to a collection of miniature weapons once found in the village of Uley, thought to have been offered to gods like Mercury. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024 Mercury was the Roman god of fine arts, commerce and financial success. Katie Hunt, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 The Pandora’s Box orb will show eight different characters from Greek Mythology, all gods except one of them. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 In ancient Egypt, temples dedicated to specific religious cults or gods functioned as lucrative businesses. Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024 This mutual choosing produces the warrior god of the Book of Exodus, the divine general who leads his people out of Egypt and who will tell them how to wage war (exterminating the Canaanites, for instance). James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Neptune was named for the Roman god of the sea, so the planet’s moons are named after lesser sea gods and nymphs. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Feb. 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 23 Apr. 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!