pray
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prayed,
past participle, past
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praying
present participle
-
to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to (God or an object of worship).
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to offer (a prayer).
-
to bring, put, etc., by praying.
to pray a soul into heaven.
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to make earnest petition to (a person).
-
to make petition or entreaty for; crave.
She prayed his forgiveness.
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to offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc., to God or to an object of worship.
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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
verb phrase
verb
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to utter prayers (to God or other object of worship)
we prayed to God for the sick child
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(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
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rare (tr) to accomplish or bring by praying
to pray a soul into the kingdom
interjection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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praysimple
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prayssimple
-
have prayedperfect
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has prayedperfect
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am prayingprogressive
-
are prayingprogressive
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is prayingprogressive
-
have been prayingperfect progressive
-
has been prayingperfect progressive
Past
-
prayedsimple
-
had prayedperfect
-
was prayingprogressive
-
were prayingprogressive
-
had been prayingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing pray
Instead of "Said": Words for Asking and Offering
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Passover Vocabulary
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 8
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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.
See Examples For:
Indeed, the most fundamental American value is freedom: the freedom to think how we want, to pray how we want, to speak freely.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
After their sentences were handed down, Lee appeared to pray as he was led out of the dock, while Chow blew a kiss to those seated in the public gallery.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
"We still hope and pray for their safety."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
“We pray that they don’t give it away,” he said as we leaned over the boat’s side and looked out at the island over the waves.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
I hang my head and pray for this day to be over.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“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
He prays for her before each game, looking up to the sky while grasping his wife’s necklace, then kissing a ring that has her fingerprint tattooed on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
He prays to Allah, but is also putting his faith in Israel.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026
As he prays, he pleads for the strength of the "All-Fathers" so that he "may fight once more".
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
Another mother, Belinda Caceres, twenty-nine, prays that her children, ages twelve, nine, and two, will have enough to eat and will not get sick while she is gone.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
"When I played with Tomer, he prayed like this," he says, touching his hand to his back of his head to indicate a kippah, the small skullcap worn as a sign of Jewish faith.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
One small group kicked a football near a police van as officers looked on, while others prayed on the sand.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Jim Messina, the ex-Obama campaign manager, said he prayed for Mr. Trump to be the 2016 nominee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Bahadur Panta, Purja's school friend, said he had prayed for the mountaineer through "sleepless nights" after news broke of his disappearance.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Although I prayed and persevered and tried my best not to worry, the reality was that once I drove outside the gates at Langley, neither my life nor the lives of my children were safe.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
“Being pregnant as a Black woman, you’re not just worrying about whether your baby will be okay: You’re praying you will be too,” she wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
“But, it’s just not certain. Anything can happen. We’re just praying to God that the government will make it official.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
Many are businesspeople praying for prosperity and dealmaking luck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, in India, has said he is praying for all those killed -- but also warned of wider issues.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
This time of the day, most of the brothers and Sons of the Six are busy studying, praying, or patrolling.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
