- present participle of bless.
blessing
Americannoun
-
blessings
plural
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the act or words of a person who blesses.
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a special favor, mercy, or benefit.
the blessings of liberty.
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a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.
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the invoking of God's favor upon a person.
The son was denied his father's blessing.
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praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before a meal.
The children took turns reciting the blessing.
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approval or good wishes.
The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.
noun
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the act of invoking divine protection or aid
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the words or ceremony used for this
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a short prayer of thanksgiving before or after a meal; grace
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Also called: brachah. brocho. Judaism
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a short prayer prescribed for a specific occasion and beginning "Blessed art thou, O Lord…"
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a section of the liturgy including a similar formula
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approval; good wishes
her father gave his blessing to the marriage
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the bestowal of a divine gift or favour
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a happy event or state of affairs
a blessing in disguise
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of blessing
First recorded before 900; Middle English blessinge, blessunge, Old English bletsung, bledsung; equivalent to bless + -ing 1
Explanation
A blessing is a prayer asking for divine protection, or a little gift from the heavens. It's also any act of approving, like when your roommate wants to move out and you give her your blessings. Blessings have to do with approval. The first meaning is asking for divine protection or favor. Priests and ministers say blessings in church, and some families say a blessing before dinner. Outside a religious context, blessings are less formal. "I give you my blessing" simply means "It's OK with me." People give their blessings to ideas and actions when they agree with them. Giving a blessing is often the same as giving permission.
Vocabulary lists containing blessing
Passover Vocabulary
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myPerspectives 10.4
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All Saints' Day
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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:
Alongside him, Cristian Lara, a 50-year-old merchant, thanked the festival organizers for "blessing" his house with a mural, and stated that there are "new winds of change" in El Salvador.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
When things go against you, leverage is a curse, not a blessing, as anyone who was on the wrong side of the housing crash nearly two decades ago knows.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
For the last seven and a half weeks John has followed the Via Beata pilgrimage route, which means "way of blessing".
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
President Vladimir Putin gave it his blessing last year, taking part by video link in the opening of an A7 branch office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The bell rang, and Hanako felt like the ringing was a blessing.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
“One of God’s good blessings, really a special person.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
To appreciate the blessings of liberty, share a meal with your neighbors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“It was just compounding blessings on top of each other — or luck.”
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
The creatures' power is also deeply embedded in people's culture, prompting them to seek the blessings of dozens of spirits before entering the forest.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
“Well, you have my blessings, Katherine,” Mamá told me.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
