pray

American  

[prey] / preɪ /

verb (used with object)

• prays,
  present (3rd person singular)
• prayed,
  past participle,  past
• praying
  present participle

1. to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).

2. to offer (a prayer).

3. to bring, put, etc., by praying.

   to pray a soul into heaven.

4. to make earnest petition to (a person).

   Synonyms:

   implore, beseech, beg, supplicate, entreat, importune

5. to make petition or entreaty for; crave.

   She prayed his forgiveness.

6. to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship.

7. to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer.

---

verb (used without object)

• prays,
  present (3rd person singular)
• prayed,
  past participle,  past
• praying
  present participle

1. to make entreaty or supplication, as to a person or for a thing.

verb phrase

1. pray tell. see pray tell.

pray British  

/ preɪ /

verb

1. to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship)

   we prayed to God for the sick child

2. (when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to make an earnest entreaty (to or for); beg or implore

   she prayed to be allowed to go

   leave, I pray you

3. rare (tr) to accomplish or bring by praying

   to pray a soul into the kingdom

---

interjection

1. archaic I beg you; please

   pray, leave us alone

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outpray
  verb (used with object)
• unpraying
  adjective
• prayingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• praying
  present
• prayed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pray
  simple
• prays
  simple
• have prayed
  perfect
• has prayed
  perfect
• am praying
  progressive
• are praying
  progressive
• is praying
  progressive
• have been praying
  perfect progressive
• has been praying
  perfect progressive

Past

• prayed
  simple
• had prayed
  perfect
• was praying
  progressive
• were praying
  progressive
• had been praying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pray
  simple
• will have prayed
  perfect
• will be praying
  progressive
• will have been praying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pray

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English preien, from Old French preier, ultimately derived from Latin precārī “to beg, pray,” derivative of prex (stem prec- ) prayer; akin to Old English fricgan, Dutch vragen, German fragen, Gothic fraihnan “to ask”

Explanation

To pray is to talk to a deity or god. Some people pray by asking for help or guidance. Most religious believers pray in one way or another — some pray out loud, thanking God for the things they have. Others pray silently when they're afraid or worried, or in a group of worshipers at a church or temple. You can also pray in a non-religious way, by begging for something: "I pray you'll really listen to my explanation." Pray comes from the Old French preier, "to pray," with its Latin root word, precari, "ask earnestly, beg, or entreat."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pray prays prayed praying

And to their loved ones who continue to wait, pray, and hold down the home front: Thank you.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

“The fight is vicious,” he told the Faith & Freedom Coalition crowd after encouraging them to pray for him and the future of the country.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

“Jackie and Shadow were parents we all pray we can be,” said Kathy Wimmer of North Carolina.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"I pray to God for his safe return," she said, having travelled all the way from Fez, some 200 kilometres away.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

All she could do was cling desperately to Dodger and pray she didn’t fall off as the horse barreled through the burning woods.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

In Israel Jonny said he "prays" that the ceasefire in Gaza can work.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

One woman who spoke on condition on anonymity said she quietly prays for a U.S. intervention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

“I don’t have the support of having an outlet for anger, fear and grief,” said Kemper, who journals, prays and keeps a website with updates on her dad.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 16, 2026

Shoes live on the floor of the minivan, or she prays they do.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

In a strong voice, he prays, "Lord, give us peace, break the yoke of the Nazi butchers, make us free."

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

She also prayed in a 17th Century chapel that was positioned directly above the dungeons.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

"I just prayed: 'God, if you still give us the chance to live, please open a way for us'," she said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

In lieu of a closing statement, Marx prayed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Yet it’s clear that the artist did see Mary as benevolent, given her complete association with the mountain, which had long been an Andean sacred site, a place where and to which native people prayed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

He prayed that all the souls would be far away on the Death Journey.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“I am praying my flight doesn’t get cancelled,” the traveler wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The sisters both said they would typically be praying quietly in their rooms early on a Sunday, ahead of attending Mass.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

"People were praying in the street. It was overwhelming," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

The two could avoid scandal inside the church, since they were just praying side by side and studying the Bible, so they spent more time there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

I began praying on a regular basis once again.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Related Words

• ask
• beseech
• recite
• urge