plural angels
1
a
religion
: a spiritual being serving as a divine messenger and intermediary and often as a special protector of an individual or nation
especially
: one in the lowest rank in the celestial hierarchy see also guardian angel
b
c(1)
: an attendant usually benevolent spirit or guardian
—often used without implication of belief in its supernatural character
"A putting angel must have come to me during the night because I felt great today and every putt I hit was a great putt," he [Paul McGinley] said.—
Nelson Clare
Nelson Clare
(2)
: the part of a person's character or nature that is said to guide the person's thoughts and behavior
… here was [Lyndon] Johnson charging straight at a problem, telling his fellow citizens an ugly truth about themselves while trying to invoke the better angels of their nature.—Kevin Baker
Kevin Baker[Lamar] Alexander concluded: "In his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln appealed to the better angels of our nature. If there are better angels of our nature, I guess that means there must be worse angels in us as well. …"—Congressional Documents and Publications
Congressional Documents and Publications2
: a usually white-robed winged figure of human form in fine art see also snow angel
3
4
: a person who is like an angel (as in looks or behavior)
Your toddler is such an angel.
Be an angel and get me a cup of tea, would you?
Childs is no angel either, and that gives his book its drama.—George Johnson
George Johnson5
Christian Science
: inspiration from God
6
: one who aids or supports with money or influence
Angels are considered one of the oldest sources of capital for start-up entrepreneurs; the term itself, by most accounts, comes from the affluent patrons who used to finance Broadway plays in the early twentieth century.—Colleen Debaise
Colleen DebaiseTypically, angel investors put up anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 to back a young start-up, and can fund as many as 10 companies at any given time.—Michael B. Farrell
Michael B. Farrell7
Examples of angel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the movie, a well meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Ansari) and a wealthy capitalist (Rogen).
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
The new bar follows the transformation of an angel into a demon (inspired by Gokan's life and professional journey from Angel’s Share in New York to his bars in Asia and now Europe).
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Oh, the glamorous yet effortless allure of the city of angels.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024
The launch comes with financial backing from early-stage venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, founded in 2020 by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and angel investors, including Zynga founder Mark Pincus, Siqi Chen and Andreas Klinger.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
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Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
The new bar follows the transformation of an angel into a demon (inspired by Gokan's life and professional journey from Angel’s Share in New York to his bars in Asia and now Europe).
—Isabelle Kliger, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Oh, the glamorous yet effortless allure of the city of angels.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2024
The launch comes with financial backing from early-stage venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, founded in 2020 by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and angel investors, including Zynga founder Mark Pincus, Siqi Chen and Andreas Klinger.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for angel
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Dictionary Entries Near angel
Cite this Entry
“Angel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/angel. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
angel
noun
an·gel
ˈān-jəl 
1
: a spiritual being serving God especially as a messenger or as a guardian of human beings
3
: a person as pure, lovely, or good as an angel
Etymology
Middle English angel "spiritual being," from Old English engel and early French angele (both, same meaning), derived from Greek angelos "messenger"
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