Meaning & use
counting your blessings
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
thinking about and being grateful for the good things in your life.
Grammar: Used as a verb phrase; often after 'be' (I am counting my blessings) or as a gerund (Counting your blessings helps).
Patterns
- be counting your blessings
- start counting your blessings
- count your blessings
After the accident, she started counting her blessings every day.
When you feel sad, try counting your blessings instead of worrying.
He is counting his blessings after finding a new job.
Common combinations
- count your blessings
- You should count your blessings and be thankful for your family.
- start counting your blessings
- After losing his job, he started counting his blessings and focused on his health.
- keep counting your blessings
- Even in hard times, she keeps counting her blessings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be grateful
- A more direct way to say you feel thankful; 'counting your blessings' is a figurative idiom that suggests actively listing good things.
- count your lucky stars
- Similar meaning but often used for a narrow escape or good luck; 'counting your blessings' is broader and more about everyday gratitude.
Opposites
Practice
What does 'counting your blessings' mean?
Choose one answer.
'Counting your blessings' means focusing on and being thankful for the good things you have. Option An is a literal misunderstanding; option C is the opposite; option D is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “counting your blessings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.