1
as in to consecrate
to make holy through prayers or ritual
the priest blessed the water, thus allowing it to be used as holy water for various rites
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to celebrate
to proclaim the glory of
bless the name of God
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to gift
to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute
blessed with a knack for glib conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bless
Hokkaido is a large island blessed with exceptional seafood, so not surprisingly, Sapporo has amazing sushi even by Japan’s lofty standards, and Hokkaido is world famous for its scallops.
—
Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
He will be blessed, definitely blessed.
—Erika Stanish, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Father Flavie Villanueva, a staunch opponent of the drug war whom I’d met in 2016, blessed a victim’s remains as they were pulled out from a concrete niche, and joined me on a ride into the city, where a forensics team would study them.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
God bless the memory of Ed and all who gave us so much glorious life and creativity in a free country!
—Sarah Sotoodeh , Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bless
Larry Olmsted, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
He will be blessed, definitely blessed.
—Erika Stanish, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Father Flavie Villanueva, a staunch opponent of the drug war whom I’d met in 2016, blessed a victim’s remains as they were pulled out from a concrete niche, and joined me on a ride into the city, where a forensics team would study them.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
God bless the memory of Ed and all who gave us so much glorious life and creativity in a free country!
—Sarah Sotoodeh , Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bless
Verb
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Rob practiced celebrating the Mass by draping a sheet over an ironing board in the basement and consecrating Necco wafers.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
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The zenith of the SSPX’s feud with the Vatican followed Lefebvre’s decision in 1988 to illicitly consecrate four bishops without Rome’s approval and in explicit disregard of warnings from then-Pope John Paul II.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Advocacy groups for student loan borrowers celebrated the announcement of the pause on student loan collections, but cautioned that the suspension is temporary.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Levi’s Home Turf experience will also feature an exhibition on local record label Empire celebrating their 15th anniversary.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As part of the program, each athlete will also receive personalized product gifting experiences to equip them for their travels, the company noted.—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
28 Jan. 2026
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While the family knew that the cancer would grow back, the surgery gifted them more precious time with Avery.—
Isabella Backman,
Hartford Courant,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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For Dooley, who had dedicated his professional life to finding shipwrecks, Carisub was the only game in town.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
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Accepting the award, Rapace dedicated it to her son.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements, praised the security forces for the operations.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Instead of soaking in the third consecutive meet with a perfect score, Chiles praised Barros, who competed in three events for the second straight meet.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Koren returned to work stripped of two titles and of a chair that had been endowed in his name.—
Ben Taub,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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With an $18 million gift, the couple endowed the Texas Center for Writers, which was renamed the Michener Center after his death in 1997.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But months later, the campaign to sanctify Kirk appears to have backfired in some ways.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2026
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An overexposed photo shows Miralba from the torso up, looking into a white sky, with a ray of light almost sanctifying her face.—
Camila Osorio,
New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Yet, these grounds were hallowed to the African American community.—
Chip Colwell,
The Conversation,
22 Oct. 2025
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In a new political environment in which none of the new leaders could claim to be revolutionary founding fathers, Deng’s blessing hallowed Jiang and Hu and helped ensure that each survived the vicissitudes of succession politics.—
Jonathan A. Czin,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bless. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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