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
Another promotional video for Rededicate 250 blends various Christian and American imagery — scenes of a cross laid on an American flag, a robed choir, people raising their hands in worship — along with a brief scene of a man praying while wearing a Jewish skullcap.
—
Peter Smith, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
After a northern Missouri community prayed and searched for more than a week hoping to find a missing 16-year-old girl, authorities said Thursday that she’d been found dead.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
This evening, her children joined them — setting aside their homework and video games to pray.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 May 2026
The meat of the summit doesn’t start until Thursday, when the leaders hold bilateral talks, visit the Temple of Heaven, where Chinese emperors once prayed for bumper crops, and take part in a formal banquet.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pray
Peter Smith, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
After a northern Missouri community prayed and searched for more than a week hoping to find a missing 16-year-old girl, authorities said Thursday that she’d been found dead.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 14 May 2026
This evening, her children joined them — setting aside their homework and video games to pray.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 May 2026
The meat of the summit doesn’t start until Thursday, when the leaders hold bilateral talks, visit the Temple of Heaven, where Chinese emperors once prayed for bumper crops, and take part in a formal banquet.
—Aamer Madhani, Fortune, 13 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for pray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pray
Verb
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Which begs the question, why was the elder Greaves, one of the most groundbreaking and prolific nonfiction filmmakers of his generation, unable to finish the film?—
Chris O'Falt,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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An all-white outfit is practically begging for a headscarf moment.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
22 May 2026
Verb
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In October, 2024, Yotam Ben-Hillel, an Israeli human-rights lawyer, petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court on behalf of a coalition of international aid groups in an effort to force the Israeli government to address the situation.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
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In August 2025, Broward County Circuit Court Judge Marlon Weiss ruled on a case of two men living in France who petitioned for early parental rights while their gestational carrier was pregnant.—
Ann Marie Luft,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pray. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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