holy water

American

noun

water blessed by a priest.

holy water British

noun

water that has been blessed by a priest for use in symbolic rituals of purification

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of holy water

before 900; Middle English haliwater, Old English hāligwæter

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.

McAleese carries holy water and offers to pray with any one who seeks prayer.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025

Someone else suggests summoning a priest and holy water.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2025

"The most important thing I’ve got is a holy water sprinkler... The idea is that water is blessed and it’s then quite literally sprinkled around the house."

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024

The holy water is in a Styrofoam cup.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2023

We dipped our fingers in holy water, knelt, crossed ourselves like we’d done a thousand times, and I led Helena to a pew.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023