prayer meeting

American  

[prair] / prɛər /

noun

1. a meeting chiefly for prayer.

2. (in certain Protestant churches) a meeting in midweek, chiefly for individual prayer and the offering of testimonies of faith.

---

prayer meeting British  

/ prɛə /

noun

1. Protestantism a religious meeting at which the participants offer up prayers to God

---

Etymology

Origin of prayer meeting

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Esperanza makes an altar on the vanity and prepares the space for chanting, a prayer meeting but more unapologetic, ritualistic and communal.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026

"We must continue to stand together to fight this... I have no doubt in my mind we will overcome," he told a recent prayer meeting for political prisoners.

From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026

"Enough of the shouting and the insults, it's time to come together," he urged in a prayer meeting just a week before the polls.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2024

“We are facing distress and disease in this dry spell,” said Bashir Ahmed, a local resident who participated in a prayer meeting in Srinagar.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 12, 2024

Even the women at prayer meeting who cried when he sang “In the Sweet By-and-By” never tried to get him to participate in the church activities.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison