anoint
Americanverb (used with object)
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anoints,
present (3rd person singular)
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anointed,
past participle, past
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anointing
present participle
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to rub or sprinkle on; apply an unguent, ointment, or oily liquid to.
-
to smear with any liquid.
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to consecrate or make sacred in a ceremony that includes the token applying of oil.
He anointed the new high priest.
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to dedicate to the service of God.
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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.”
verb
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to smear or rub over with oil or an oily liquid
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to apply oil to as a sign of consecration or sanctification in a sacred rite
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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anointsimple
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anointssimple
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have anointedperfect
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has anointedperfect
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am anointingprogressive
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are anointingprogressive
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is anointingprogressive
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have been anointingperfect progressive
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has been anointingperfect progressive
Past
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anointedsimple
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had anointedperfect
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was anointingprogressive
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were anointingprogressive
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had been anointingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of anoint
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English anoynten, derivative of anoynt, enoynt (past participle), from Old French enoint, from Latin inūnctus “anointed” (past participle of inungere ), equivalent to in- in- 2 + ung- “smear with oil” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
To anoint means to choose by divine intervention. Or at least it seems like the big guy upstairs had something to do with it. Saints and religious leaders are said to be anointed, but so is that new unstoppable quarterback who saved the team midseason. Anoint comes to us from the ancient Latin word unguere, which means "to smear." Which explains the other sense of this word, which is to apply with oil or another smearable substance, such as during a religious ceremony.
Vocabulary lists containing anoint
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I've Been to the Mountaintop" (1968)
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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Mythology
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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:
There is this idea that through market-controlling systems like the draft and the salary cap, any team, no matter how minor or shabby, may stumble into a transcendent talent and anoint a dynasty.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
It was impossible to separate the photo with a by-election winner from the gathering to anoint a new leader which this also seemed to become, especially considering some of the MPs present.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The third-placed Pheu Thai party of jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra agreed to join him in a coalition, alongside several smaller parties, and parliament will anoint him on Thursday.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
“Founders and investors have the ability to weaponize a startup’s balance sheet and make these huge investments at huge valuations to try to anoint a winner and suck all the air out of the room.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
“Carve his name on the candle five times and anoint it with these oils,” he instructs.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
Each year TED anoints a small cohort—scientists, artists, activists, and entrepreneurs—as TED Fellows, giving them visibility, coaching, and introductions to potential funders.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
Overlooking David’s many strapping older brothers, the wise elder anoints the astonished kid as the next king, but cautions him that the ceremony must be kept secret.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
He triumphs, and the queen anoints him Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a name derived from his White father’s plantation in Guadeloupe.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023
A: When he anoints himself the story's hero.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2022
He opens the flask, anoints me, while I seem to faint, with the authentic holy water used on the feet of the holy saint.
From "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village" by Laura Amy Schlitz
According to Licence, this interpretation could help resolve a longstanding historical puzzle: why would a pope support the violent removal of an anointed king?
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Thatcher, his latest anointed icon, fares no better than a butterfly pinned to his mood board.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Monuments to Adam Smith and David Hume on the Royal Mile have also been anointed with plastic crowns.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
His father's second and final term runs until January, 2029 and the Republican president has not yet anointed a successor.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
Three of the scheduled anointed speakers did not show, among them church founders Rev. Thomas McNair, my godfather, and Sister Virginia Ingram, both having pleaded illness or scheduling conflicts.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
In that sense, it appeared more like an anointing than a procedural formality: the veteran of the American left passing the baton to a younger standard-bearer.
From Slate ● Jan. 3, 2026
He was anointing them, he said, to become poll workers.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2024
While Liverpool youngster Ben Woodburn grabbed headlines for a goal and assist in World Cup qualifying, Williams was anointing an unused sub as his natural heir as Wales centre-back and leader.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024
Welby conducted the service for the king’s coronation, and had the key task of anointing and crowning Charles and Queen Camilla at the ceremony.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2023
I was in my room after lunch, reading James chapter five because I would talk about the biblical roots of the anointing of the sick during family time, when I heard the sounds.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
