god
1 Americannoun
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gods
plural
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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.
See Examples For:
The Medea we meet here is a teenage princess of Colchis infatuated with Jason—as well as a sorceress, a priestess of Hecate and the semidivine granddaughter of the sun god Helios.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
"Maria Corina till the end. We're waiting for her, only god knows when she'll arrive, but that she will arrive, she will," Beltran said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
It draws its beliefs from the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan, a late 18th-Century celibate ascetic who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of Vishnu, the revered Hindu god of preservation.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
“You’re going ‘Oh my god, she’s not that good.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
He studied a small ceramic figurine of a pharaoh or god.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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"Jane doesn't want some other woman, if God forbid this happens to them, to be left on their own, thrown overboard like she was."
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Latin Americans who claim no religious affiliation are often more likely to believe in God than Christians in Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The phrases "One Nation Under God" and "Liberty and Justice for All" are inscribed in gold on either side of the structure.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
“My faith in God has never been stronger. I know He has a plan for me, and I trust in that plan,” Campbell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
"God in heaven! Didn't I tell you, master, they were windmills?"
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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The lessons may appear to be the same, but the individuals often tell disturbing tales that only the gods could see coming.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Wells story, “The Man Who Could Work Miracles,” about an ordinary guy bestowed with world-altering powers by the gods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
But at 3.06pm, for once the motor-racing gods were on his side.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
At the dawn of the new millennium, music critics prophesied that five young men living in New York City would cast the false gods of nu metal, rap-rock and boy bands out of heavy rotation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"No, child. That I am who I say I am. That you are caught in a war between gods."
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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This last old man, Whom with crack'd heart I have sent to Rome, Lov'd me above the measure of a father; Nay, godded me indeed.
From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
The earth not paeans thee, nor serves thy hest, Be godded not by Heaven! avert thy face, And leave to blank disgrace The oblivious world! unsceptre thee of state and place!
From New Poems by Francis Thompson
This last old man, Whom with a crack'd heart I haue sent to Rome, Lou'd me, aboue the measure of a Father, Nay godded me indeed.
From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.