as in begs
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
I pray you: tell me where they went
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prays
And a poet prays words still matter.
—
Becky Bartkowski, AZCentral.com, 27 Dec. 2025
My father prays to the God of his upbringing and begs the Holy Father to disappear my grandfather.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Sarah’s sister, the missing girl’s mother, prays with desperate hope for her own child, yet feels ashamed—a heartbreakingly human reaction in the face of such horror.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Months after Yessenia Ruano had to return to El Salvador, her church group in Milwaukee still prays for her, and her former teaching colleagues still keep up with her.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Her seemingly naive caregiver prays for guidance in her duties, with Clark evoking Sissy Spacek's Carrie White in her apparent unworldliness.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Think about your circle and their strengths — who cooks, who organizes, who prays, who can help with new hair, wig or makeup?
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
The district still puts on a Christmas program and observes a moment of silence to start the day, and the school board prays before meetings.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
At one point, Gwen prays to Jesus for help, much to the bemusement (and adoration) of Ernesto.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Becky Bartkowski, AZCentral.com, 27 Dec. 2025
My father prays to the God of his upbringing and begs the Holy Father to disappear my grandfather.
—Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025
Sarah’s sister, the missing girl’s mother, prays with desperate hope for her own child, yet feels ashamed—a heartbreakingly human reaction in the face of such horror.
—Nuri Kino, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Months after Yessenia Ruano had to return to El Salvador, her church group in Milwaukee still prays for her, and her former teaching colleagues still keep up with her.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 Dec. 2025
Her seemingly naive caregiver prays for guidance in her duties, with Clark evoking Sissy Spacek's Carrie White in her apparent unworldliness.
—Dennis Perkins, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
Think about your circle and their strengths — who cooks, who organizes, who prays, who can help with new hair, wig or makeup?
—Essence, 29 Oct. 2025
The district still puts on a Christmas program and observes a moment of silence to start the day, and the school board prays before meetings.
—Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2025
At one point, Gwen prays to Jesus for help, much to the bemusement (and adoration) of Ernesto.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prays
Verb
-
Chelsea’s appointment of Liam Rosenior is at least understandable in terms of his work within the BlueCo network, which begs the question of why Ratcliffe’s own multi-club operation could not provide United with a wider network to tap into.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Hopper begs her to believe there is another way.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What better way to welcome the weekend than with the smell and sound of a frying ijeh, asks Sami Tamimi.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Space exploration asks us to think beyond ourselves.—
Alexander Görlach,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prays. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
