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holy water

American  

noun

  1. water blessed by a priest.

holy water British  

noun

  1. 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.

A priest gave nonstop blessings, flinging holy water from a pink plastic bucket.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025

Someone else suggests summoning a priest and holy water.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2025

At Manila North Cemetery, Father Flavie Villanueva - Bible in one hand, and a plastic bottle of holy water in his pocket - prays with a bereaved mother beside her son's grave.

From BBC • Jan. 3, 2024

The holy water is in a Styrofoam cup.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2023

A priest in the college cellar scatters holy water on the walls.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

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.