worship
noun
reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
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worship
American
[wur-ship]
/ ˈwɜr ʃɪp /
noun
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reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
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formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage.
They attended worship this morning.
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adoring reverence or regard.
excessive worship of business success.
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the object of adoring reverence or regard.
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(initial capital letter) a title of honor used in addressing or mentioning certain magistrates and others of high rank or station (usually preceded by Your, His, orHer ).
verb (used with object)
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worships,
present (3rd person singular)
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worshipped,
past, past participle, past (especially British)
-
worshiped,
past participle
-
worshiping,
present participle
-
worshipping
present participle (especially British)
verb (used without object)
-
worships,
present (3rd person singular)
-
worshipped,
past, past participle, past (especially British)
-
worshiped,
past participle
-
worshiping,
present participle
-
worshipping
present participle (especially British)
-
to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
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to attend services of divine worship.
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to feel an adoring reverence or regard.
worship
1
British
/ ˈwɜːʃɪp /
verb
-
(tr) to show profound religious devotion and respect to; adore or venerate (God or any person or thing considered divine)
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(tr) to be devoted to and full of admiration for
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(intr) to have or express feelings of profound adoration
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(intr) to attend services for worship
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obsolete (tr) to honour
noun
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religious adoration or devotion
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the formal expression of religious adoration; rites, prayers, etc
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admiring love or devotion
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archaic dignity or standing
Worship
2
British
/ ˈwɜːʃɪp /
noun
Usage
What does worship mean? Worship is the honor and reverence given to a god or sacred object, as in The holy men would not allow anyone to interrupt their worship of the gods. Worship can also refer to the formal act or ceremony in which a person gives such reverence, as in The family attended worship yesterday. Worship can be used more generally to refer to passionate adoration or devotion of anything, as in I am sometimes disturbed by the creepy worship of celebrities. As a verb, worship can be used in both the religious sense, as in worshipping nature, or the secular sense, as in worshiping the musician at every concert. In American English, worshiped and worshipping are spelled with only one P, while in British English they are spelled with two P’s (worshipped, worshipping). Self-worship is used to refer to someone who reveres or adores themselves, as in The dozens of flattering self-portraits were just one example of the king’s self-worship. Example: My sister worships her cats and is always buying fancy gifts for them.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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preworshipnoun
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self-worshipnoun
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self-worshipernoun
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self-worshippernoun
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worshipernoun
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worshippernoun
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misworshipverb
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self-worshipingadjective
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self-worshippingadjective
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unworshipedadjective
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unworshipingadjective
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unworshippedadjective
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unworshippingadjective
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worshipableadjective
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worshipinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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worshipsimple
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worshipssimple
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have worshipedperfect
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have worshippedperfect
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has worshipedperfect
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has worshippedperfect
-
am worshipingprogressive
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am worshippingprogressive
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are worshipingprogressive
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are worshippingprogressive
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is worshipingprogressive
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is worshippingprogressive
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have been worshipingperfect progressive
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have been worshippingperfect progressive
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has been worshipingperfect progressive
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has been worshippingperfect progressive
Past
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worshippedsimple
-
had worshipedperfect
-
had worshippedperfect
-
was worshipingprogressive
-
was worshippingprogressive
-
were worshipingprogressive
-
were worshippingprogressive
-
had been worshipingperfect progressive
-
had been worshippingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of worship
First recorded before 900; Middle English noun wors(c)hipe, worthssipe, Old English worthscipe, variant of weorthscipe; Middle English verb derivative of the noun; see origin at worth 1, -ship
Explanation
To worship is to show a lot of love and adoration for something. Religious believers worship gods, and people can worship other people and things too. Worship is an extreme form of love — it's a type of unquestioning devotion. If you worship God, then you love God so much that you don't question him at all. Going to church is a form of worship — so is prayer. People also use the word worship in other cases. If you love a musician or sports star, you might say, "I worship her!" Or someone might say to you, "Man, you need to wake up and stop worshiping him."
Vocabulary lists containing worship
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Frindle
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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:
It seems less hero worship than a reunion of old friends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Economic opportunity, the ability to speak and worship freely and a strong work ethic have led many Americans to see the U.S. as a uniquely privileged nation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
"We are currently sat in the volunteer tent with a brew in hand, worship music being played and the warmth of chatter around us."
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
She thought of Dyedka’s Slavist worship, and of Mama's prayers on Shabbat, and wondered what the tsar’s new churches were crowding out.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Congress should pass the Right to Worship Act, so that every American can worship freely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Batiste was a surprise winner at last year's ceremony and features in the major categories once again, with his album World Music Radio and song Worship up for the top prizes.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2023
People pray during the Praise and Worship service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023
The church-affiliated Elevation Worship has won six Dove Awards — the top award for contemporary Christian music — including song of the year for “The Blessing.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 30, 2023
“Your Worship, with respect, if I had something more to say I would have said it.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Within a legal profession that venerates judges and worships the Supreme Court, this is borderline heresy.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2026
He is notorious for his threats against a Bollywood actor who shot two blackbucks, a type of antelope that the Bishnoi sect worships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
What does it mean to lack ambition in a country that worships wealth?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Filipino woman worships green statue for 4 years, finds out it is animated character Shrek.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
But I already know the message in Elizabeth’s sour smile: she worships Hilly, but Elizabeth does not care to share her help with anybody.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
His collections were worshipped for their emphasis on individuality.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
"If someone chants the name of Mother Bonbibi, she will save his life from tigers, snakes, and crocodiles," said villager Ashutosh Mandal, 63, referring to a deity whose idol is worshipped at temples.
From Barron's ● Apr. 28, 2026
They worshipped in a two-bedroom apartment while the group raised money to build a more permanent mosque—a spiritual home that would deepen their roots in their hometown.
From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026
Despite the abundance of material, it remains difficult to determine exactly which deities were worshipped.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2026
Still, it was a gift from he whom I worshipped most in this world; and I determined that my mother and I should benefit from it.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
I love the game too much and, if I am being candid, my team has usually been better than the one everyone around me worshiped, which does wonders for a boy’s sense of belonging.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Legend has it that the lion-headed figure protected the country from invasions and was worshiped as a god of war in the ancient Nubian kingdoms of Kush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
A leather-goods salesman from Brooklyn, N.Y., he worshiped the sun and loved nothing better than a “fresh burn.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Isis symbolizes healing and maternal love and was worshiped from England to Afghanistan during the time of the Roman Empire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2025
She listed all the movie stars, some of whom I absolutely worshiped, who were insisting on having bomb shelters installed in their backyards.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
Society is depicted as "worshiping only power and money, despising art, sensitivity, tenderness, where people ...don't talk anymore."
From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026
Not by banning it or worshiping it, but by designing it to strengthen the irreplaceable human skills that business demands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
But Rigney himself is focused on much more than worshiping Jesus and loving one another.
From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026
I’m worshiping my wife in a way — she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2025
Would they be mocked or even punished for worshiping?
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
"If you tend to it too much, people think you are worshipping it," Arkoful says.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
It was to protect worshippers that Israel had asked people of all faiths to "temporarily abstain" from worshipping at all the holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City, he added.
From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026
He believes in the power of film and the strength we get from the communal aspect of worshipping at the movie house.
From Salon ● May 24, 2025
He’s incapable of worshipping a god because he’s only capable of worshipping himself.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2024
When he gets close, he bows like he’s worshipping me.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
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.
