worship

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

|Updated on: 5 Aug 2018

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Examples: worship in a Sentence

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

On Sunday morning, after the hymns, greetings and breaking of bread, Father Leo Perez asked all fathers, grandfathers, spiritual fathers and padrinos worshiping at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto to stand and be blessed.

— vincent t. davis, San Antonio Express-News, "Special Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto celebrates fathers," 17 June 2018
All of those artists play other festivals later in the summer, but Essence is your one opportunity to worship at the feet of the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige.

— Billboard, "A Guide to Planning Summer Music Festival Season 2018," 2 June 2018
The ban, signed into law Tuesday, appears problematic for pale-skinned, sun-worshiping environmentalists who love to snorkel and have an aversion to carcinoma.

— peter fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Hawaii to ban sunscreen that damages coral," 7 July 2018
Tech investors worship at the altar of disruptors, the upstarts that re-order industries and grow like the dickens.

— adam lashinsky, Fortune, "'Old Codger' Adobe Pulls Off Rare Tech Transformation," 15 June 2018
Membership is available to anyone who lives, works or worships in Maricopa or Yavapai counties, Roch notes.

— jessica levy, azcentral, "Happy employees make happy members at Credit Union West," 14 May 2018
In the early 1900s, a German eccentric named August Engelhardt, author of the obscure manifesto A Carefree Future, established a sun-worshipping colony on this chain, at its height numbering around 15 naked vegetarians from Europe.

— sophy roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, "Navigating Tradition and Tourism in Papua New Guinea," 3 May 2018
Then there’s Lonzo Ball, who is a nerd in all the senses but grew up idolizing James (which is telling in a city that worships Kobe) and has in many ways patterned his pass-first approach to the game after him.

— chris gayomali, GQ, "The Upside of the Lakers," 2 July 2018
That's big news for the state that worships Friday Night Lights and considers J. J. Watt a saint.

— fernando ramirez, Houston Chronicle, "Three polls that go against every Texas stereotype," 27 June 2018

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.

First Known Use of worship

13th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

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worship Synonyms

Phrases

carry a torch for (or carry the torch for), fall for, lose one's heart (to);

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

Other Forms of Address Terms

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

worship

noun

Definition of worship

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

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

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

worship of the dollar

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

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

In keeping with this tenor of awed hero-worship, Hemingway’s repeated patterns of punishing women whose attentions wander, even for legitimate reasons, is rarely recounted.

— dana snitzky, Longreads, "Hemingway’s Last Girl," 12 July 2018
Marchaé Grair, a spokeswoman for UUA, told The Post that two-thirds of the denomination’s congregations participated in anti-white-supremacy training in 2017, and many substituted regular worship for the training.

— michelle boorstein, Washington Post, "Prominent progressive D.C. church, accused of racism, tries to move on," 10 July 2018
The service will include praise and worship music at a celebration of the Eucharist.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Putnam-Killingly Edition," 10 July 2018
As the leader of hipster megachurch Hillsong, where Justin and Hailey both worship, of course Lentz was somehow involved in this.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Everything to Know About Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin’s Engagement," 9 July 2018
Trump has made the conflation between evangelicalism and nationalism increasingly explicit: His top evangelical allies, like Pastor Robert Jeffress, frequently lead services that link American patriotism, support of Trump, and Christian worship.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Before Trump, churches were increasingly multiracial. What next?," 3 July 2018
The utility bag, for one, has become an object of worship comparable to women’s purses.

— samuel hine, GQ, "The Daring New Trend in Pants Is…Shorts," 2 July 2018
All San Diegans knew was that the chapel, which during World War II and later wars was the last place of worship for sailors shipping out, was shutting its doors to renters on June 30.

— logan jenkins, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cliff-hanger update: 3 damsels no longer distressed," 2 July 2018
Jonathan Parker, worship leader for the First Christian Reformed Church of Crown Point, worked as the sound guy for the show.

— michelle l. quinn, Post-Tribune, "Gospel music fest lifts spirits, sheet music," 25 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 4

See Words from the same year

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Near Antonyms

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

idealization, romanticization;

affection, fancy, favor, fondness, like, liking, love;

appreciation, esteem, regard, respect;

approval;

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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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

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Synonym Discussion of worship

Other Forms of Address Terms

worship

Definition of worship

Examples of worship in a Sentence

Recent Examples of worship from the Web

Origin and Etymology of worship

worship Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to WORSHIP

Related Phrases

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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