worship

noun wor·ship \ ˈwər-shəp also ˈwȯr- \

Definition of worship

1 chiefly British :a person of importance —used as a title for various officials (such as magistrates and some mayors)

2 :reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also :an act of expressing such reverence

3 :a form of religious practice with its creed and ritual

4 :extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem

worship of the dollar

See worship defined for English-language learners

See worship defined for kids

Examples of worship in a Sentence

worship of gods and goddesses
Worship services are held daily.
the media's worship of celebrities

Recent Examples of worship from the Web

Now budding families would try out worship, look at the gray heads around them and not come back.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Why I stopped going to Faith Lutheran in Prairie Village, and now, it’s closing," 11 Aug. 2017
Original Bible Church was incorporated in Illinois as a nonprofit in January of last year and parishioners had been gathering for worship services at a Matteson hotel and more recently at a church in Flossmoor while pursuing plans in Markham.

— mike nolan, Daily Southtown, "Church moves closer to opening in Markham," 7 Aug. 2017
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that dozens of Palestinians were injured in clashes with police after the worship resumed, most from tear gas inhalation.

— jonathan ferziger, Bloomberg.com, "Palestinians Call Off Prayer Ban at Jerusalem Muslim Shrine," 27 July 2017
As the Mosul offensive extended south and toward Qayyarah, the area's residents dealt with a new wave of tragedies as homes, schools, hospitals, and places of worship were caught in the cross fire of the Iraqi army and ISIS militants.

— robert newhouse, Teen Vogue, "In "Generation 2000," Iraqi Teens Who Escaped ISIS Tell Their Stories," 20 July 2017
No plans for the Connecticut property have been finalized, Crisostomo said, but a chapel will probably be restored as a new house of worship, and the church expects to keep the four residential properties and possibly add some more.

— michael melia, The Seattle Times, "Filipino church feeds expansion by buying ghost town in US," 16 July 2017
With a sanctuary built in the early 1960s in a working-class neighborhood where churches at the time rose a few blocks from each other, Trinity Lutheran for the last generation has functioned as much as a preschool as a house of worship.

— rick montgomery, kansascity, "Columbia’s Trinity Lutheran, victor in landmark case, back to ‘being a little church’," 2 July 2017
Besides employing a lot of millennials, Elevation draws many of them to its worship services.

— tim funk, charlotteobserver, "Attention job-seeking millennials: Elevation is only church to make this national best list," 29 June 2017
Sunday morning worship service is at 11 a.m. each week.

— kansascity, kansascity.com, "Plans are being made for the annual Freeman Homecoming," 28 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'worship.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of worship

Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorth worthy, worth + -scipe -ship

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

adulation, deification, hero worship, idolatry, idolization, worshipping (also worshiping)

Related Words

adoration, deference, glorification, reverence, veneration; idealization, romanticization; affection, fancy, favor, fondness, like, liking, love; appreciation, esteem, regard, respect; approval

Near Antonyms

condemnation, disapproval, disfavor, dislike, dismissal, disregard, hatred, loathing, scorn

Other Forms of Address Terms

appellation, beatitude, brethren, emeritus, esquire, sire, sous

worship

verb

Definition of worship

worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping

transitive verb

1 :to honor or reverence as a divine being or supernatural power

2 :to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion

a celebrity worshipped by her fans

intransitive verb

:to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship

—

worshipper

or less commonly worshiper noun

See worship defined for English-language learners

Examples of worship in a Sentence

Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun and moon.
They worship at this temple.
I worship God in my own way.

Recent Examples of worship from the Web

The 76-year-old, white-bearded guru preaches chastity and worshipping one’s parents.

— Washington Post, "Despite crime allegations, gurus in India hold sway," 26 Aug. 2017
As a mother, I'm appalled at the notion that these symbols of oppression should be worshipped.

— jazz smollett-warwell, Glamour, "Raising Our Daughters In the Age of Charlottesville: An Open Letter to Ivanka Trump," 25 Aug. 2017
Buy Photo Shortly after worshiping at his Germantown mosque on the night of June 25, 2014, Gregory Porterfield was shot eight times on a street in Lawncrest.

— mensah m. dean, Philly.com, "Fired Philly cop who shot 3 men is back on the beat," 25 Aug. 2017
The old gods are mainly worshipped in the North; Ned Stark believed in the old gods, and Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly took their Night’s Watch vows in a grove of weirwoods above the Wall.

— eliza thompson, Cosmopolitan, "A Guide to the Many Religions on Game of Thrones," 13 July 2017
His article came in response to a controversy over comments by a professor at Wheaton College, who had implied Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "Sanders, Ossoff, and the Hopeless Dream of a Religious Left," 13 July 2017
The idea for bringing dogs to worship came from church member Debbie McDonald, whose husband died Sept. 1, 2016.

— AL.com, "Paws in the Pews: Dogs go to church," 11 July 2017
If anything, meeting Brock was better than worshipping him from afar.

— eddie alterman, Car and Driver, "The Luckiest Part of My Job Is That It Allows Me to Meet People like Brock Yates," 29 June 2017
Those who worship at the altar of Bonobos (or Bono-bros, as some refer to it) may have to start changing their sartorial tune.

— brooke bobb, Vogue, "Man Bun Aside, Why Not Take a Cue From Extreme-Fashion Ken?," 23 June 2017

First Known Use of worship

13th century

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

adore, deify, glorify, revere, reverence, venerate

Antonyms

abhor, abominate, despise, detest, execrate, hate, loathe

Related Words

admire, honor, love, regard, respect; apotheosize, canonize, dignify, exalt, lionize, magnify; extol (also extoll), laud, praise; delight, gratify, please, satisfy

Near Antonyms

blaspheme, desecrate, profane, violate; affront, dishonor, disrespect, insult, offend, outrage, pique, ridicule, scorn, slight; displease; defame, disparage, libel, malign, slander, slur, smear

Synonym Discussion of worship

revere, reverence, venerate, worship, adore mean to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully. revere stresses deference and tenderness of feeling.

- a professor revered by her students

reverence presupposes an intrinsic merit and inviolability in the one honored and a similar depth of feeling in the one honoring.

- reverenced the academy's code of honor

venerate implies a holding as holy or sacrosanct because of character, association, or age.

- heroes still venerated

worship implies homage usually expressed in words or ceremony.

- worships their memory

adore implies love and stresses the notion of an individual and personal attachment.

- we adored our doctor

British Definition of WORSHIP

worship

noun

British Definition of worship

:a person of importance —used as a title for various officials (such as magistrates and some mayors)

WORSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

worship

noun

Definition of worship for English Language Learners

: the act of showing respect and love for a god especially by praying with other people who believe in the same god : the act of worshipping God or a god
: excessive admiration for someone

worship

verb

Definition of worship for English Language Learners

: to honor or respect (someone or something) as a god
: to show respect and love for God or for a god especially by praying, having religious services, etc.
: to love or honor (someone or something) very much or too much

WORSHIP Defined for Kids

worship

noun wor·ship \ ˈwər-shəp \

Definition of worship for Students

1 :deep respect toward God, a god, or a sacred object

2 :too much respect or admiration

worship

verb

Definition of worship for Students

worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping

1 :to honor or respect as a divine being

2 :to regard with respect, honor, or devotion

She worships her son.

3 :to take part in worship or an act of worship

—

worshipper

or worshiper noun

Learn More about worship

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for worship Spanish Central: Translation of worship Nglish: Translation of worship for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of worship for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about worship

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Examples of worship in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of worship

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Forms of Address Terms

worship

Definition of worship

worshipper

Examples of worship in a Sentence

Recent Examples of worship from the Web

First Known Use of worship

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of worship

Phrases Related to WORSHIP

Related Phrases

British Definition of WORSHIP

worship

British Definition of worship

WORSHIP Defined for English Language Learners

worship

Definition of worship for English Language Learners

worship

Definition of worship for English Language Learners

WORSHIP Defined for Kids

worship

Definition of worship for Students

worship

Definition of worship for Students

worshipper

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