as in begs
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 prays
Roger prays, and Amy takes her last breath.
—
Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
So everyone crosses their fingers, hopes mostly for good health and then prays that an extended late season break doesn’t derail the momentum the Stars have managed to create in the last 10 days.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Instead, the 26-year-old gets ready, journals, prays and reads.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
In the midst of this danger, Thecla stands, reaches out her hands and prays to God.
—Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Shortly after, viewers see chest compressions being performed on Jo as Link (Chris Carmack) prays in a church surrounded by candles.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
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
Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
So everyone crosses their fingers, hopes mostly for good health and then prays that an extended late season break doesn’t derail the momentum the Stars have managed to create in the last 10 days.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 3 Feb. 2026
Instead, the 26-year-old gets ready, journals, prays and reads.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 27 Jan. 2026
In the midst of this danger, Thecla stands, reaches out her hands and prays to God.
—Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
Shortly after, viewers see chest compressions being performed on Jo as Link (Chris Carmack) prays in a church surrounded by candles.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prays
Verb
-
That, too, begs a certain allowance.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2026
-
In the wake of Princess Diana's death in 1997, the queen tends to affairs privately yet butts heads with Prime Minister Tony Blair (Michael Sheen), who begs her to address the nation.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The film hands off its plot like a baton, passing from this dissatisfied shopper to a factory owner to her dead daughter-in-law (another ghost) who petitions the government for her civil rights despite being in the body of an appliance.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The update includes a new toggle to turn on an auto-reply from Meta AI whenever someone asks about your item's availability.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
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For a child who asks seventy-three questions a day, that’s not a small thing.—
Gerald Bradshaw,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prays. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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