god

¹

[god]

noun

1. one of several deities, especially a male deity, presiding over some portion of worldly affairs.

2. an image of a deity; an idol.

3. any deified person or object.

4. a nebulous powerful force imagined to be responsible for one's fate.

   The god of poker dealt me two aces.

5. Theater.,  gods,

   1. the upper balcony in a theater.

   2. the spectators in this part of the balcony.

verb (used with object)

godded, godding 

1. to regard or treat as a god; deify; idolize.

God

²

[god]

noun

1. the Supreme Being, worshiped as the creator or ultimate source of the universe.

2. the Supreme Being according to a particular religion or conception.

   She called upon Allah, the God of Islam, for help.

3. the Supreme Being considered with reference to a particular attribute.

   May the God of mercy comfort you.

interjection

1. (used to express disappointment, disbelief, weariness, frustration, annoyance, or the like).

   God, do we have to listen to this nonsense?

god

¹

/ ɡɒd /

noun

1. 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

2. an image, idol, or symbolic representation of such a deity

3. any person or thing to which excessive attention is given

   money was his god

4. a man who has qualities regarded as making him superior to other men

5. (in plural) the gallery of a theatre

God

²

/ ɡɒd /

noun

1. 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

2. to behave in an imperious or superior manner

interjection

1. an oath or exclamation used to indicate surprise, annoyance, etc (and in such expressions as My God! or God Almighty! )

Other Word Forms

• nongod noun
• semigod noun
• subgod noun
• undergod noun

Word History and Origins

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

god ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of god¹

Old English god; related to Old Norse goth, Old High German got, Old Irish guth voice

Idioms and Phrases

• act of god
• for god's sake
• honest to god
• lap of the gods
• mills of gods grind slowly
• my god
• put the fear of god in
• so help me (god)
• thank god
• there but for the grace of god
• tin god

Example Sentences

“And then, and then,” oh my god, they’ll be telling you a story, and you’re like, “And then what happened?” all the time.

Read more on Salon

“They are treated as gods and goddesses and put on pedestals for searching for and ‘representing’ truth and knowledge and recognizing and being proud of who they are and where they come from.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The Victorians worried about a “world denuded of larger significance,” but we suffer from both material surfeit and spiritual abundance, and are captive to a surplus of competing and increasingly angry gods.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Corman, affectionately known as the “Pope of Pop Cinema,” was a god of low-budget horror, a maestro who could turn a shoestring budget into something glittering, gothic, and gloriously unhinged.

Read more on Salon

At dusk, worshippers stood waist-deep in the river's brown waters to offer prayers to the sun god Surya as the setting orb sank into the haze blanketing New Delhi's skyline, marking the annual Chhath festival.

Read more on Barron's