worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping
1
: to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power
2
: to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor, or devotion
a celebrity worshipped by her fans
: to perform or take part in worship or an act of worship
worshipper
noun
or less commonly worshiper
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)
Synonyms
Examples of worship in a Sentence
Verb
Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun and moon.
They worship at this temple.
I worship God in my own way.
Noun
worship of gods and goddesses
Worship services are held daily.
the media's worship of celebrities
Recent Examples on the Web
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Their activism will be on full display during the Sacred Concert, which celebrates the intersection between jazz and worship music.
—Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
It was then likely abandoned for hundreds of years, slowly degrading, but still visible by the time religious icons were searching for a private place to worship, the archaeologists said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
The story is political but also politically muddled, imparting a vague warning about the hazards of worshiping false idols.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The Prophet Muhammad encouraged his followers to remember and worship God during an eclipse, inviting his disciples to worship with him at the mosque until the cosmic event passed, says Aydin.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Ahmadi Muslims believe having a separate space for men and women in the mosques allows each gender to worship without distraction.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Today’s great reads How one man in South Korea rearranged his life to worship Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The church, whose congregation is about 50% white, 25% Black and 25% foreign-born, changed its name to People's Church in 2012 to reflect its racial diversity, including 30-plus nationalities worshiping and working there, according to its website.
—Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024
Kathleen Wong, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2024
This would still include night and day prayer with worship in the context of a church.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
At least part of the schadenfreude that collects around these kinds of shows is that each brand has, at some point, tried to convince us of the same false idols: beautiful blondes and babydoll tees, trading in youth worship and all-American aesthetics.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
What is Merrill Park known for? Merrill Park is mostly residential with places of worship, schools and a few retail and service shops in the the neighborhood.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, while also putting a greater focus on worship, charity and good deeds.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The law in question explicitly protects First Amendment speech and also includes language ensuring free access to houses of worship.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
King’s College Chapel is one of several landmark houses of worship in England that have installed solar panels in recent years.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
And the music and the praise and worship became the service.
—Sid Evans, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Each honeymoon-to-heartbreak story she’s sung about over the years has conveyed the lesson that worshiping another person is a recipe for disappointment.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Their activism will be on full display during the Sacred Concert, which celebrates the intersection between jazz and worship music.
—Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 18 Apr. 2024
It was then likely abandoned for hundreds of years, slowly degrading, but still visible by the time religious icons were searching for a private place to worship, the archaeologists said.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
The story is political but also politically muddled, imparting a vague warning about the hazards of worshiping false idols.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
The Prophet Muhammad encouraged his followers to remember and worship God during an eclipse, inviting his disciples to worship with him at the mosque until the cosmic event passed, says Aydin.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024
Ahmadi Muslims believe having a separate space for men and women in the mosques allows each gender to worship without distraction.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
Today’s great reads How one man in South Korea rearranged his life to worship Dodger superstar Shohei Ohtani.
—Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
The church, whose congregation is about 50% white, 25% Black and 25% foreign-born, changed its name to People's Church in 2012 to reflect its racial diversity, including 30-plus nationalities worshiping and working there, according to its website.
—Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
Visitors to the temple must book a reservation for personal meditation and worship.
—Kathleen Wong, Travel + Leisure, 21 Apr. 2024
This would still include night and day prayer with worship in the context of a church.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
At least part of the schadenfreude that collects around these kinds of shows is that each brand has, at some point, tried to convince us of the same false idols: beautiful blondes and babydoll tees, trading in youth worship and all-American aesthetics.
—Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
What is Merrill Park known for? Merrill Park is mostly residential with places of worship, schools and a few retail and service shops in the the neighborhood.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2024
Ramadan is the month on the Islamic lunar calendar during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, while also putting a greater focus on worship, charity and good deeds.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The law in question explicitly protects First Amendment speech and also includes language ensuring free access to houses of worship.
—Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024
King’s College Chapel is one of several landmark houses of worship in England that have installed solar panels in recent years.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
And the music and the praise and worship became the service.
—Sid Evans, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near worship
Cite this Entry
“Worship.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worship. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
worship
1 of 2 noun
wor·ship
ˈwər-shəp 
1
chiefly British
: an important person
—used as a title for some officials
2
a
: great respect toward a divine being or supernatural power
b
: the outward showing of such respect
3
: too great admiration or devotion
worship of money
worship
2 of 2 verb
worshipped also worshiped; worshipping also worshiping
1
: to honor or respect as a divine being or supernatural power
2
: to treat with too great respect, honor, or devotion : idolize
worshipped popular singers
3
: to perform or take part in worship
worshipper
noun
or worshiper
Etymology
Noun
Middle English worshipe "worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being," from Old English weorthscipe "worthiness, respect," from weorth "worth, worthy" and -scipe "-ship (quality, condition)"
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