pray

[prey]

verb (used with object)

to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).
to offer (a prayer).
to bring, put, etc., by praying: to pray a soul into heaven.

to make earnest petition to (a person).
to make petition or entreaty for; crave: She prayed his forgiveness.
to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship.
to enter into spiritual communion with God or an object of worship through prayer.

verb (used without object)

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

Origin of pray

1250–1300; Middle English preien < Old French preier ≪ Latin precārī to beg, pray, derivative of prex (stem prec-) prayer; akin to Old English fricgan, Dutch vragen, German fragen, Gothic fraihnan to ask

Related formspray·ing·ly, adverbout·pray, verb (used with object)un·pray·ing, adjective

Can be confusedpray prayer prey

Synonyms for pray

4. importune, entreat, supplicate, beg, beseech, implore.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for prays

recite, ask, beseech, urge, sue, invoke, request, say, importune, entreat, implore, crave, solicit, supplicate, appeal, brace, adjure, petition, invocate

Examples from the Web for prays

Contemporary Examples of prays

He prays for a miracle and gets it in the form of a snow day, giving him an extra 24 hours to study.
Growing Up with Bart Simpson
Alex Suskind
August 31, 2014
A shot of her lying in bed next to Amber face-to-face as she prays to God to guide them to improve themselves is heartbreaking.
Mississippi Is Hell for These Lesbians
Emily Shire
August 8, 2014
In the face of his enemies, he prays that God might forgive them.
A Bishop’s Decision to Divorce
Gene Robinson
May 4, 2014
“I sincerely hope this woman is flattened by a lorry,” prays another.
When Fame Is the Reason for Abortion, Does That Make It Wrong?
Tauriq Moosa
April 30, 2014
In New York, Bill de Blasio demands higher taxes and more spending, but prays for safe streets.
Obama Misfires in the War on Poverty
Lloyd Green
January 13, 2014

Historical Examples of prays

In Sonnet 136 he prays her to allow him to be one of her lovers.
The Man Shakespeare
Frank Harris
Israel prays for blessing, that God may be known among all nations.
The Ministry of Intercession
Andrew Murray
He prays not for himself, nor cares for personal deliverance.
Oswald Langdon
Carson Jay Lee
Even now he prays thrice daily before her ihai on the shrine.
The Dragon Painter
Mary McNeil Fenollosa
Ask the man who prays in yonder mosque, and he will tell you that Jabaster's wrong.'
Alroy
Benjamin Disraeli

British Dictionary definitions for prays

pray

verb

(when intr, often foll by for; when tr, usually takes a clause as object) to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship)we prayed to God for the sick child
(when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to make an earnest entreaty (to or for); beg or imploreshe prayed to be allowed to go; leave, I pray you
(tr) rare to accomplish or bring by prayingto pray a soul into the kingdom

interjection

archaic I beg you; pleasepray, leave us alone

Word Origin for pray

C13: from Old French preier, from Latin precārī to implore, from prex an entreaty; related to Old English fricgan, Old High German frāgēn to ask, Old Norse fregna to enquire

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

Word Origin and History for prays

pray

early 13c., "ask earnestly, beg," also (c.1300) "pray to a god or saint," from Old French preier "to pray" (c.900, Modern French prier), from Vulgar Latin *precare (also source of Italian pregare), from Latin precari "ask earnestly, beg, entreat," from *prex (plural preces, genitive precis) "prayer, request, entreaty," from PIE root *prek- "to ask, request, entreat" (cf. Sanskrit prasna-, Avestan frashna- "question;" Old Church Slavonic prositi, Lithuanian prasyti "to ask, beg;" Old High German frahen, German fragen, Old English fricgan "to ask" a question).

Parenthetical expression I pray you, "please, if you will," attested from 1510s, contracted to pray 16c. Related: Prayed; praying. Praying mantis attested from 1809. The "Gardener's Monthly" of July 1861 lists other names for it as camel cricket, soothsayer, and rear horse.