Meaning & use
worship
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Meanings
noununcountablereligion
Acts of prayer, song or ceremony through which people show devotion to God or a sacred being.
Grammar: Usually has no plural and no article: worship begins at ten, not a worship.
Patterns
- worship of something
- a place of worship
- an act of worship
Morning worship at the village chapel lasted about an hour.
The temple is open to visitors outside the hours of worship.
Her grandfather found comfort in quiet worship every evening.
verbtransitive or intransitivereligion
To show deep devotion to a god through prayer, ritual or other acts of respect.
Grammar: Can take an object (worship a god) or stand alone (they worship on Fridays).
Patterns
- worship something
- worship at somewhere
- worship together
Many families worship at the same church their ancestors built.
In ancient Egypt, people worshipped the sun as a god.
The community gathers to worship every Sunday.
verbtransitivefigurative
To admire or love someone or something so strongly that you cannot see any fault in them.
Grammar: Always takes an object: she worships her older brother.
Patterns
- worship someone
- worship the ground someone walks on
The little boy worships his big sister and copies everything she does.
Some fans worship the band and travel to every concert.
He worships money and thinks of little else.
Word forms
| third person singular | worships |
|---|---|
| past tense | worshipped |
| past participle | worshipped |
| -ing form | worshipping |
Common combinations
- place of worship
- Every town in the region has at least one place of worship.
- freedom of worship
- The constitution guarantees freedom of worship to everyone.
- act of worship
- Lighting a candle can be a simple act of worship.
- worship the ground someone walks on
- She worships the ground her grandmother walks on.
- hero worship
- His hero worship of the footballer faded as he grew up.
- worship at the altar of something
- The company seems to worship at the altar of growth.
Synonyms and how they differ
- revere
- Revere stresses deep respect and awe, while worship adds the idea of devotion in ritual or total adoration.
- adore
- Adore is warmer and more personal, and does not suggest religious ritual the way worship does.
- idolize
- Idolize implies treating someone as perfect and is often mildly critical, whereas worship can be neutral in religious use.
- venerate
- Venerate is more formal and usually applies to respect for holy people, old things or traditions.
Opposites
Word family
- worshipper noun
- a person who worships
- worshipful adjective
- showing great respect or admiration
- worshipfully adverb
- in a way that shows great reverence
- worshiper noun
- American spelling of worshipper
Commonly confused: worship or warship?
worship vs warship
A warship is a navy vessel built for fighting; worship is devotion to a god. They look alike on the page but sound different.
Practice
Which sentence uses worship in its figurative, non-religious sense?
Choose one answer.
Only the toddler sentence describes intense admiration for a person; the others describe religious devotion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “worship”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.