god
1 Americannoun
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one of several deities, especially a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs.
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an image of a deity; an idol.
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any deified person or object.
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a nebulous powerful force imagined to be responsible for one's fate.
The god of poker dealt me two aces.
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Theater. gods,
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the upper balcony in a theater.
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the spectators in this part of the balcony.
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verb (used with object)
noun
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the Supreme Being, worshiped as the creator or ultimate source of the universe.
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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
noun
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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
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an image, idol, or symbolic representation of such a deity
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any person or thing to which excessive attention is given
money was his god
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a man who has qualities regarded as making him superior to other men
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(in plural) the gallery of a theatre
noun
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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
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to behave in an imperious or superior manner
interjection
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.
GOD save our gracious Sovereign and all the Companions, living and departed, of the Most Honourable and Noble Order of the Garter.
From BBC • Sep. 19, 2022
MAD GOD Phil Tippett, who has worked on visual effects and animation teams for Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Paul Verhoeven, directed this hybrid of stop-motion and live action.
From New York Times • May 27, 2022
“Other than GOD above and my family, I place my duties as Governor above all else,” he thundered in a statement sent out Tuesday evening.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2021
GOD save our gracious Sovereign and all the Companions, living and departed, of the Most Honourable and Noble Order of The Garter.
From Washington Times • Apr. 16, 2021
I’ve seen the church name on a sign where blaring yellow sun rays spell GOD.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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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.