anoint
to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to.
to smear with any liquid.
to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil: He anointed the new high priest.
to dedicate to the service of God.
to select for an honor, a particular role or office, etc.: After today’s interview, it looks like he will soon be anointed as head of the new Special Projects division.The headline read, “Dictionary.com anoints ‘allyship’ Word of the Year for 2021.”
Origin of anoint
1Other words from anoint
- a·noint·er, noun
- a·noint·ment, noun
- re·a·noint, verb (used with object)
- re·a·noint·ment, noun
Words Nearby anoint
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use anoint in a sentence
In a symbolic and literal crash, a nearby aquarium shatters, anointing the newfound lovers with water and fish and broken glass.
In the Noirish Modern Fairytale Undine, a Mermaid and a Man Find Happiness—for Now | Stephanie Zacharek | May 28, 2021 | TimeA few even anointed him “The Next One,” the most-likely successor to “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky, the NHL’s greatest player ever, before McDavid ever played his first game with the Edmonton Oilers.
His wife and Macgill were there with anointing oil and a prayer book, their voices still raspy as they helped him let go.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia. | Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden | February 5, 2021 | Washington PostWithin days after the election, we witnessed an orchestrated effort to anoint the winner, even while many key states were still being counted.
The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election | Molly Ball | February 4, 2021 | TimeOutside of Orlando, where the University of Central Florida anointed itself the 2017 national champion, college football hasn’t built much momentum toward allowing a team that isn’t in a Power Five conference9 a chance to compete for a title.
Is This The Year A Team From Outside The Power Five Crashes The College Football Playoff? | Jake Lourim | October 29, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
Father Huber pulled the white sheet down so he could anoint the forehead of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Jimmy Breslin on JFK’s Assassination: Two Classic Columns | Jimmy Breslin | November 22, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTCould it be that by giving him St. Peter in Chains Benedict meant to anoint him?
The Republicans tend to anoint the next in line, and this time there is no heir apparent.
We privately see ourselves as queenly beings who get to decide which of our subjects to anoint with a knighthood.
They were about to anoint Charlie Wilson as one of their own.
That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best ointments: and they are not concerned for the affliction of Joseph.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousI feel like asking our elder, Sister Smith, to come and anoint you with oil according to Jas.
The value of a praying mother | Isabel C. ByrumIf the hands be affected, anoint them on going to bed, and put on a pair of gloves.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartleyanoint the face with this, leave it on twenty or thirty minutes, or overnight if convenient, and wash off with warm water.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyIf you anoint a patient that has confluent smallpox you probably can not wipe away the oil, because the skin will be pustular.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin Malley
British Dictionary definitions for anoint
/ (əˈnɔɪnt) /
to smear or rub over with oil or an oily liquid
to apply oil to as a sign of consecration or sanctification in a sacred rite
Origin of anoint
1Derived forms of anoint
- anointer, noun
- anointment, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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