plural vigils
: an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc., especially at night
The night before he was scheduled to be executed, the group held a candlelight vigil for him outside the prison. [=they held candles and waited for him to be executed or pardoned]
She kept vigil at the bedside of her ailing son. [=she sat beside her son's bed when he was ill]
Cite this Entry
“Vigil.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/vigil. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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