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worship definition

wor·ship (wʉr′s̸hip)

noun

    1. reverence or devotion for a deity; religious homage or veneration
    2. a church service or other rite showing this
  2. extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of any kind
  3. Chiefly Brit. a title of honor used in speaking to or of magistrates, mayors, or certain others holding high rank: preceded by Your or by His or Her
  4. Rare something worshiped
  5. Rare a distinct type of religious group, as a sect
  6. Archaic greatness of character; honor; dignity; worthiness

Etymology: ME worschip < OE weorthscipe, honor, dignity, worship: see worth & -ship

transitive verb worshiped -·shiped or worshipped -·shipped, worshiping -·ship·ing or worshipping -·ship·ping

  1. to show religious devotion or reverence for; adore or venerate as a deity
  2. to have intense love or admiration for; adore or idolize

intransitive verb

to engage in worship, or perform an act of religious devotion; specif., to offer prayers, attend church services, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

worship Synonyms

worship

n.

  1. Adoration

    prayer, devotion, homage, adulation, benediction, invocation, supplication, beatification, veneration, offering, reverence, honor, Mariolatry, hagiolatry, religious ritual.

  2. A religious service

    Mass, vespers, devotions; see church 2.


worship

v.

  1. To adore

    adore, idolize, exalt, adulate; see admire 1, love 1, revere.

  2. To perform acts of worship

    sanctify, pray to, invoke, venerate, glorify, praise, exalt, offer prayers to, pay homage to, return thanks, give thanks, sing praises to, reverence, celebrate, adore, revere, laud, extol, magnify, chant, bow down before, kneel before, prostrate oneself before, canonize; see also pray 2. See syn. study at revere.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

worship Usage Examples

Object

  • god: They refused to worship false gods that were no gods at all.

Adjective modifier

  • collective: A daily act of collective worship for all pupils is not yet provided.

Modifies a noun

  • him: May we indeed respond to His desire and ever " worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Noun used with modifier

  • ancestor: It became very popular among practitioners of Santeria in Cuba, as a means of re-connecting to ancestor worship.

Preposition: of

  • god: Of all horrible religions the most horrible is the worship of the god within.

Preposition: for

  • Baptist: Here are places of worship for Baptists and Wesleyan Methodists.
worship usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

worship quotes

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him,Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

-Bible (NewTestament)

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

-Bible (NewTestament)

Your worship is your furnaces Which, like old idols, lost obscenes, Have molten bowels; your vision is Machines for making more machines.

-Bottomley, Gordon

worship quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"worship." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/worship>

APA Style

worship. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/worship

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