pray
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prayed,
past participle, past
-
praying
present participle
-
to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).
-
to offer (a prayer).
-
to bring, put, etc., by praying.
to pray a soul into heaven.
-
to make earnest petition to (a person).
-
to make petition or entreaty for; crave.
She prayed his forgiveness.
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to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship.
-
to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer.
verb (used without object)
-
prays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prayed,
past participle, past
-
praying
present participle
verb phrase
verb
-
to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship)
we prayed to God for the sick child
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(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to make an earnest entreaty (to or for); beg or implore
she prayed to be allowed to go
leave, I pray you
-
rare (tr) to accomplish or bring by praying
to pray a soul into the kingdom
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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praysimple
-
prayssimple
-
have prayedperfect
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has prayedperfect
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am prayingprogressive
-
are prayingprogressive
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is prayingprogressive
-
have been prayingperfect progressive
-
has been prayingperfect progressive
Past
-
prayedsimple
-
had prayedperfect
-
was prayingprogressive
-
were prayingprogressive
-
had been prayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of pray
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English preien, from Old French preier, ultimately derived from Latin precārī “to beg, pray,” derivative of prex (stem prec- ) prayer; akin to Old English fricgan, Dutch vragen, German fragen, Gothic fraihnan “to ask”
Explanation
To pray is to talk to a deity or god. Some people pray by asking for help or guidance. Most religious believers pray in one way or another — some pray out loud, thanking God for the things they have. Others pray silently when they're afraid or worried, or in a group of worshipers at a church or temple. You can also pray in a non-religious way, by begging for something: "I pray you'll really listen to my explanation." Pray comes from the Old French preier, "to pray," with its Latin root word, precari, "ask earnestly, beg, or entreat."
Vocabulary lists containing pray
Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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Passover Vocabulary
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 8
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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:
“I’m so sad to hear this! I pray for the whole family.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
His exhortation was simple: “Come together and pray for unity.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Today, the entire world is proud of him. I urge my fellow citizens to pray for Smit's long life and excellent health, and to salute Smit, who has brought glory to India."
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
They want to know whether simply gathering to pray could leave them vulnerable to an accusation of conversion.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“Oh Lord,” I whispered, “listen to Betsie, not me, because I cannot pray for those men at all.”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
"The Prime Minister extends his condolences to the bereaved families and prays for them to have the strength and patience to bear this irreparable loss," the statement said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
She sits beside his bed and prays, trying to remain composed.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
“I don’t have the support of having an outlet for anger, fear and grief,” said Kemper, who journals, prays and keeps a website with updates on her dad.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026
Elsie Saldaña — who goes by El Daña onstage — prays before every show she has performed since 1965.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
In one pool of light, an old woman crosses herself and prays, while in the other a seven-year-old girl is also praying, praying for forgiveness, because it was clear to me that I was responsible.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Many Miami-based Cubans think the monumental shift they have prayed for is almost here.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
"I want to thank my legal team and everyone who has stood with and supported me, and especially the many people who have prayed for me throughout this ordeal."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
They pulled tiny candles from pouches and lighted them, burned incense, dropped coins in the offering box and prayed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
On the winning touchdown, Hinton said, “It was surreal. It was something I prayed for and it meant everything.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Cletus watched them with a kind of ache in his eyes, and I knew what he wanted for his life and I prayed for him to someday get it.
From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant
"He is a strong person, and he has so many people that are behind him and are praying for him," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Our soldiers are praying a lot more than they used to.”
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“The last 6 weeks of my life have been a nightmare I’m praying to wake up from,” he wrote on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"I couldn't describe what I am feeling right now. I have been crying and praying since last night," Magbanua says.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The other prophets joined in, praying, cursing, prophesying together with a kind of weird music.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
