prayers

noun

Definition of prayersnext
plural of prayer
1
as in petitions
an address to God or a deity he always directed a bedside prayer to God before going to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in appeals
an earnest request we hope that the governor will hear our prayer and do something about this pressing problem

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 prayers On Christmas Eve in 1814 thousands of American, British and Canadian families were having their prayers answered. — William Lambers, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024 Your prayers and kindness mean more than words can express. — Lucia Suarez Sang, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2024 Thank you for your kindness and prayers. — Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024

Browse Nearby Words

prayerfulness
prayers
praying
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prayers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prayers. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on prayers

Nglish: Translation of prayers for Spanish Speakers

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

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

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

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

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

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

See More

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

Top 10 Sophisticated Insults

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
burrowing owl athene cunicularia tilts its head outside its burrow on marco island florida
Guess the Curious Origins of These Everyday Words Oh, that’s where that comes from…
See All