bless

verb

ˈbles How to pronounce bless (audio)
Definition of blessnext
1
as in to consecrate
to make holy through prayers or ritual the priest blessed the water, thus allowing it to be used as holy water for various rites

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to celebrate
to proclaim the glory of bless the name of God

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to gift
to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute blessed with a knack for glib conversation

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bless Hawaii is blessed with some of the most cinematic hiking trails on the planet. — Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 3 Mar. 2025 God bless America, God bless the great state of Texas. — Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 2 Mar. 2025 Finally, we were blessed with another opportunity to try out the primer that’s been all over our TikTok for you pages. — Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 28 Feb. 2025 Drake has continued to bless fans experiencing financial hardship during his Anita Max Wynn Tour through Australia. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, 25 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bless
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bless
  1. consecrate
  2. celebrate
  3. gift
  4. dedicate
  5. praise
  6. endow
  7. sanctify
  8. hallow
Verb
  • Bergoglio was consecrated into the priesthood as a Jesuit, a religious order explicitly averse to moving up within the ranks of the church hierarchy.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The creators of this medieval masterpiece have been lost to time, but it’s believed to have been commissioned by Odo, bishop of Bayeux and William’s half-brother, to decorate the nave of the new cathedral of Notre-Dame of Bayeux, which was consecrated in 1077.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 20 Feb. 2025
Definition of consecrate
Verb
  • The inaugural Broadway In Memoriam will take place on June 10, celebrating Broadway veterans who have passed away in 2025, with the list of honorees announced in advance.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The mark was anticipated and celebrated only lightly by Curry and the Warriors in the lead-up.
    — Anthony Slater, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of celebrate
Verb
  • Additionally, a slim pocket inside neatly fits a $1 bill, as a direct homage to an anecdote about Jackie Kennedy, who was known among friends for always tucking a $1 into her bags and who gifted several of her purses to Bessette-Kennedy.
    — Emma Sandler, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025
  • After gifting the first 50 jars to friends and family last year, the fruit spread will be available to purchase in the United States later this year as one of the first products from As ever.
    — Stephanie Petit, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of gift
Verb
  • The film also dedicates a fair amount of its story to a skewering of self-actualization seminars.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025
  • And several researchers who have dedicated their career to studying vaccine behaviors have not yet heard that their grants have been affected.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of dedicate
Verb
  • Goswami praised her collaborators but also thanked the AFA academy — and herself.
    — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Mar. 2025
  • On the first day of two historically peak spring-break weekends, crowds were minuscule and families praised the quiet streets.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of praise
Verb
  • The music endows the revival with a fluidity that is made all the more haunting by the otherworldly echoes of Peter Rice’s sound design.
    — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Reflecting this, Anglo-American law long endowed prosecutors with unrestricted authority to drop cases.
    — The Editors, National Review, 21 Feb. 2025
Definition of endow
Verb
  • After the film climaxes in a predictable shootout, the title character − a Mexican cartel leader who undergoes gender-affirming surgery and is reborn as an activist − is sanctified and immortalized.
    — Pamela Avila, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
  • God is so intimately present to his friends, the saints, that their very bodies are sanctified by his presence.
    — Therese Cory, The Conversation, 28 Jan. 2025
Definition of sanctify
Verb
  • So, this rom-com isn’t likely to crack the AFI Top 100, but John Tucker Must Die commands hallowed ground in the revenge-movie canon.
    — Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
  • But long before stars like Hamilton, one name was hallowed: Ayrton Senna.
    — Marco della Cava, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of hallow

Browse Nearby Words

bless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bless.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bless. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on bless

Nglish: Translation of bless for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All