as in to beg
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
I pray you: tell me where they went
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Recent Examples of pray
Many of the businesses in the industrial complex were back open Thursday, but some workers said they were still rattled by what happened and are praying for everyone who was hurt.
—
Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The monks that used to live there made wine, prayed.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Generally, their role is to accompany those who request it, pray with them and bear witness.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pray
Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
The monks that used to live there made wine, prayed.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Generally, their role is to accompany those who request it, pray with them and bear witness.
—Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Let’s pray for all that knew him & had the opportunity to be in his presence.
—ABC News, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pray
Verb
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Casino operators and tourism officials have traveled North to reassure Canadian leaders, Las Vegas’ mayor publicly begged them to return last year and Las Vegas’ tourism bureau is stepping up advertising in major Canadian markets.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Savannah and her siblings have posted several impassioned pleas to their mother's kidnapper, begging the person to let Nancy go.—
Daysia Tolentino,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Black Mountain has successfully petitioned the city of Fort Worth to rezone more than 430 acres of land for its AI data center, with another roughly 80 acres’ worth of land headed to Zoning Commission and the City Council later this year after council members pumped the brakes.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Mar. 2026
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Twenty-two European ministers are petitioning the organizers of the Venice Biennale to disinvite Russia from the prestigious event’s upcoming sixty-first edition, to open March 9.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pray. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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