worship

American  

[wur-ship] / ˈwɜr ʃɪp /

noun

1. reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.

2. formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage.

   They attended worship this morning.

3. adoring reverence or regard.

   excessive worship of business success.

   Synonyms:

   idolatry, adoration, homage, honor

4. the object of adoring reverence or regard.

5. (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 ).

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verb (used with object)

worshiped, worshiping, worshipped, worshipping

1. to render religious reverence and homage to.

2. to feel an adoring reverence or regard for (any person or thing).

   Synonyms:

   adulate, idolize, glorify, adore, revere, venerate, honor

verb (used without object)

worshiped, worshiping, worshipped, worshipping

1. to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.

2. to attend services of divine worship.

3. to feel an adoring reverence or regard.

worship ¹ British  

/ ˈwɜːʃɪp /

verb

1. (tr) to show profound religious devotion and respect to; adore or venerate (God or any person or thing considered divine)

2. (tr) to be devoted to and full of admiration for

3. (intr) to have or express feelings of profound adoration

4. (intr) to attend services for worship

5. obsolete (tr) to honour

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noun

1. religious adoration or devotion

2. the formal expression of religious adoration; rites, prayers, etc

3. admiring love or devotion

4. archaic dignity or standing

Worship ² British  

/ ˈwɜːʃɪp /

noun

1. a title used to address or refer to a mayor, magistrate, or a person of similar high rank

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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

• misworship verb
• preworship noun
• self-worship noun
• self-worshiper noun
• self-worshiping adjective
• self-worshipper noun
• self-worshipping adjective
• unworshiped adjective
• unworshiping adjective
• unworshipped adjective
• unworshipping adjective
• worshipable adjective
• worshiper noun
• worshipingly adverb
• worshipper noun

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."

Example Sentences

Only days later, during the monthly Christian worship service at the Pentagon — the first such service since the war with Iran began — Hegseth went further in attaching religious significance to the conflict.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

They’d continue to play his music and worship at his altar.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

His statement shared on X said: "This sustained attack on our community's ability to worship and live in safety is an attack on the values that bind us all together."

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

What makes Christianity work, and always has, is the gathering together of the faithful to worship in song and in recitation of ancient creeds affirming creation, sin, salvation, and the death and resurrection of Christ.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

A time will come when they have grown so wicked that they will worship power, might will be right to them, and reverence for the good will cease to be.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• admire
• adore
• canonize
• celebrate
• chant
• idolize
• revere
• sing
• venerate