god
noun
one of several deities, especially a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs.
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god
1 American
[god]
/ gɒd /
noun
-
gods
plural
-
one of several deities, especially a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs.
-
an image of a deity; an idol.
-
any deified person or object.
-
a nebulous powerful force imagined to be responsible for one's fate.
The god of poker dealt me two aces.
-
Theater. gods,
-
the upper balcony in a theater.
-
the spectators in this part of the balcony.
-
verb (used with object)
godded,
godding
God
2
American
[god]
/ gɒd /
noun
-
the Supreme Being, worshiped as the creator or ultimate source of the universe.
-
the Supreme Being according to a particular religion or conception.
She called upon Allah, the God of Islam, for help.
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the Supreme Being considered with reference to a particular attribute.
May the God of mercy comfort you.
interjection
god
1
British
/ ɡɒd /
noun
-
a supernatural being, who is worshipped as the controller of some part of the universe or some aspect of life in the world or is the personification of some force
-
an image, idol, or symbolic representation of such a deity
-
any person or thing to which excessive attention is given
money was his god
-
a man who has qualities regarded as making him superior to other men
-
(in plural) the gallery of a theatre
God
2
British
/ ɡɒd /
noun
-
theol the sole Supreme Being, eternal, spiritual, and transcendent, who is the Creator and ruler of all and is infinite in all attributes; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
-
to behave in an imperious or superior manner
interjection
God
Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of god1
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch god, German Gott, Old Norse goth, Gothic guth
Origin of God2
see origin at god ( def. )
Explanation
A god is a supreme being or deity, and it's spelled with a lowercase g when you're not referring to the God of Christian, Jewish, or Muslim tradition. The ancient Greeks had many gods — including Zeus, Apollo, and Poseidon. A physical representation of a deity is also called a god. If you go to Hawaii, you can even buy a god in a gift shop — a statue or idol that represents one of the Hawaiian gods, like a figure of the god Pele. The word god also refers to a man of superior quality or exceptional beauty. Elvis Presley was considered a god by many teenage girls in the late 1950s.
Vocabulary lists containing god
Reading: Literature - Mythology - Introductory
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Reading: Literature - Mythology - Middle School
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Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“You’re going ‘Oh my god, she’s not that good.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
She and the president also have access to A.I., which they can ask to generate endless images of him as a warrior, god, rock star or other powerful character.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Its name combines a reference to Nereus, the ancient Greek sea god, with the Malgana word marumarumayae, meaning 'ancient home'.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026
Torossian explained that due to Mason's health conditions, a "god man" - a legally appointed trustee - was given power of attorney to look after her dad's affairs.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Nansi was one of her favorite story topics—she’d tell me about the trickster god cutting deals, bending the rules, and weaving schemes as intricate as a spiderweb between tree branches.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
The one good thing to come from his loss of freedom, he says, is his deepening faith in God.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“I always spent the end of the day on ‘Widow’s Bay’ going, ‘My God, I’m exhausted’ — because you’re just vibrating on a higher level with Tom,” Rhys said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
"God bless you Dolly Parton my friend, I am not the only one on Earth who will love you for ever and ever."
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
By the blessing of God, American Muslims will continue working to ensure that the democracy the American flag represents serves everyone.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
“Betsie, there’s no way even God can make me grateful for a flea.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
In Greek mythology, the volcano was associated with the burial of the giants Typhon and Enceladus after they were defeated by the Olympian gods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
I do not have faith in gods the way my ancestors had faith in Zeus.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
“Ever since, we’ve been crossing our fingers and knocking on wood and sending up flares to the Booker gods, and sent the book to the printer a little earlier than usual just in case.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
These odd phenomena convinced ancient cultures that eclipses were signs of the apocalypse -- or messages from the gods.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The old primordial gods like Gaea and Tartarus...How could you leave home and ever be independent of your parents, when they literally encompassed the entire world?
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
The earth not paeans thee, nor serves thy hest, Be godded not by Heaven! avert thy face, And leave to blank disgrace The oblivious world! unsceptre thee of state and place!
From New Poems by Francis Thompson
This last old man, Whom with crack'd heart I have sent to Rome, Lov'd me above the measure of a father; Nay, godded me indeed.
From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
This last old man, Whom with a crack'd heart I haue sent to Rome, Lou'd me, aboue the measure of a Father, Nay godded me indeed.
From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
