Definition of 'pray'
Word forms: prays, praying, prayed
1. intransitive verb
When people pray, they speak to God in order to give thanks or to ask for help.
2. transitive verb [usu cont]
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of
pray
Word Frequency
pray in American English
verb transitive
2.
to ask for by prayer or supplication; beg for imploringly
3.
to recite (a prayer)
4.
to bring about, get, etc. by praying
verb intransitive
5.
to ask very earnestly; make supplication, as to a deity
6.
to worship God, a god, etc., as by reciting certain set formulas
SIMILAR WORDS: apˈpeal
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME preien < OFr preier < LL precare, for L precari < prex (gen. precis), prayer < IE *pre-, var. of base *per-, question > Ger frage, question
Word Frequency
pray in British English
verb
1. (when intr, often foll by for; when tr, usually takes a clause as object)
we prayed to God for the sick child
2. (when tr, usually takes a clause as object or an infinitive)
she prayed to be allowed to go
leave, I pray you
exclamation
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
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
Examples of 'pray' in a sentence
pray
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
Quotations
Trends of
pray
View usage over:
In other languages
pray
British English: pray
/preɪ/ VERB
When people pray, they speak to God in order to give thanks or to ask for help.
- American English: pray /ˈpreɪ/
- Arabic: يُصَلِّي
- Brazilian Portuguese: rezar
- Chinese: 祈祷
- Croatian: moliti
- Czech: modlit se
- Danish: bede
- Dutch: bidden
- European Spanish: rezar
- Finnish: rukoilla
- French: prier
- German: beten
- Greek: προσεύχομαι
- Italian: pregare
- Japanese: 祈る
- Korean: 기도하다
- Norwegian: be
- Polish: pomodlić się
- European Portuguese: rezar
- Romanian: a se ruga
- Russian: молиться
- Spanish: rezar
- Swedish: be bön
- Thai: สวดมนต์
- Turkish: dua etmek
- Ukrainian: молитися
- Vietnamese: cầu nguyện
Browse alphabetically
pray
Related terms of
pray
Source
Definition of pray from the Collins English Dictionary
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
boy or buoy?
Which version is correct?
stair or stare?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
stare
stair
Julie gave him a long, cold .
troop or troupe?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
troupe
troop
She will learn to dance with the .
leant or lent?
Which version is correct?
dew or due?
Which version is correct?
Your score:
Word of the day
apocynthion
the point at which a spacecraft in lunar orbit is farthest from the moon
New Conversations Day
The twelfth of July marks New Conversations Day. If you haven’t heard of it, don’t fret or feel afflicted by FOMO, for this is the first such day – ever.
Read more
Study guides for every stage of your learning journey
Whether you're in search of a crossword puzzle, a detailed guide to tying knots, or tips on writing the perfect college essay, Harper Reference has you covered for all your study needs.
Read more
World Music Day
‘If music be the food of love, play on’ must be the second best-known quote from the Bard. These words uttered – or crooned in some performances – by Duke Orsino, who is in love with love itself, constitute the very first line of Twelfth Night.
Read more
Collins English Dictionary Apps
Download our English Dictionary apps - available for both iOS and Android.
Read more
Collins Dictionaries for Schools
Our new online dictionaries for schools provide a safe and appropriate environment for children. And best of all it's ad free, so sign up now and start using at home or in the classroom.
Read more
Word lists
We have almost 200 lists of words from topics as varied as types of butterflies, jackets, currencies, vegetables and knots!
Amaze your friends with your new-found knowledge!
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Updating our Usage
There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Read our series of blogs to find out more.
Read more
Area 51, Starship, and Harvest Moon: September’s Words in the News
I’m sure a lot of people would agree that we live in strange times. But do they have to be so strange that Area 51 is making headlines? And what’s this about fish the look like aliens. September’s Words in the News explain all.
Read more
Quick word challenge
Quiz Review
Question: 1
-
Score: 0 / 5
long-term goal or winning goal?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
long-term goal
winning goal
This needs to be approached in a realistic manner.
consume energy or muster the energy?
Which version is correct?
complex plot or vegetable plot?
Which version is correct?
murder scene or music scene?
Drag the correct answer into the box.
murder scene
music scene
Mobile signals enabled police to place them at the .
environmental damage or nerve damage?
Which version is correct?
Your score: