as in begged
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 prayed
Williams prayed for relief, for someone to take Azari off his hands for a minute.
—
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Heath looked to the sky and prayed the flight would still take off.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
In front of the steps of Orlando City Hall for over an hour, the group prayed over butterflies that are handed to immigrants, prayed for the families who have been separated and for Renee Good, the Minneapolis mother who was shot and killed by a federal agent earlier this month.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, at Mount Moriah, the graves Gerlach allegedly prayed on are old, ornate mausoleums and large crypt-like vaults, many from the 1800s.
—Joe Holden, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Local musicians sang, welcoming attendees, while leaders from several faiths prayed for a prosperous, peaceful Detroit and successful tenure for Sheffield.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hundreds of others prayed for the victims at the nearby Church of Montana-Station.
—Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Versions of resolutions have existed for about 4,000 years; in Babylonia and ancient Rome, people prayed together, paid off their debts, and made promises of good conduct to their gods.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
After our vows, my parents came up and prayed over us, in which my grandma then followed.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Jan. 2026
Heath looked to the sky and prayed the flight would still take off.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2026
In front of the steps of Orlando City Hall for over an hour, the group prayed over butterflies that are handed to immigrants, prayed for the families who have been separated and for Renee Good, the Minneapolis mother who was shot and killed by a federal agent earlier this month.
—Natalia Jaramillo, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, at Mount Moriah, the graves Gerlach allegedly prayed on are old, ornate mausoleums and large crypt-like vaults, many from the 1800s.
—Joe Holden, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Local musicians sang, welcoming attendees, while leaders from several faiths prayed for a prosperous, peaceful Detroit and successful tenure for Sheffield.
—Dana Afana, Freep.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Hundreds of others prayed for the victims at the nearby Church of Montana-Station.
—Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2026
Versions of resolutions have existed for about 4,000 years; in Babylonia and ancient Rome, people prayed together, paid off their debts, and made promises of good conduct to their gods.
—Valerie Trapp, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
After our vows, my parents came up and prayed over us, in which my grandma then followed.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prayed
Verb
-
At first, police arrested the driver, but his wife begged Yolanda not to press charges.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 2021, Colvin successfully petitioned to have her juvenile arrest record expunged.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Back in June 2025, Baldoni’s team withdrew their bid to subpoena Swift, and instead successfully petitioned for access to said text exchanges.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prayed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prayed. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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