worship

[ wur-ship ]

See synonyms for: worship worshiped worshipped worshipping on Thesaurus.com

noun

reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.
formal or ceremonious rendering of such honor and homage: They attended worship this morning.

adoring reverence or regard: excessive worship of business success.
the object of adoring reverence or regard.
(initial capital letter)British. a title of honor used in addressing or mentioning certain magistrates and others of high rank or station (usually preceded by Your,His, or Her).

verb (used with object),wor·shiped, wor·ship·ing or wor·shipped, wor·ship·ping.

to render religious reverence and homage to.
to feel an adoring reverence or regard for (any person or thing).

verb (used without object),wor·shiped, wor·ship·ing or wor·shipped, wor·ship·ping.

to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.
to attend services of divine worship.

to feel an adoring reverence or regard.

Origin of worship

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun wors(c)hipe, worthssipe, Old English worthscipe, variant of weorthscipe; Middle English verb derivative of the noun; see origin at worth¹, -ship

Other words for worship

3	honor, homage, adoration, idolatry
7	honor, venerate, revere, adore, glorify, idolize, adulate

See synonyms for worship on Thesaurus.com

Other words from worship

wor·ship·er, wor·ship·per, noun
wor·ship·ing·ly, adverb
mis·wor·ship, verb, mis·wor·shiped, mis·wor·ship·ing or mis·wor·shipped, mis·wor·ship·ping.
pre·wor·ship, noun, verb, pre·wor·shiped, pre·wor·ship·ing or pre·wor·shipped, pre·wor·ship·ping.
self-wor·ship, noun
self-wor·ship·er, self-wor·ship·per, noun
self-wor·ship·ing, self-wor·ship·ping, adjective
un·wor·shiped, un·wor·shipped, adjective
un·wor·ship·ing, un·wor·ship·ping, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use worship in a sentence

I also am grateful they recognized the indispensable role that faith based, not-for-profit organizations and places of worship have in serving their communities during a crisis.
Last-minute regulation would make religious businesses eligible for taxpayer-backed SBA loans | Aaron Gregg | January 20, 2021 | Washington Post
When actual Persians came marauding in 614, it was the only place of worship they didn’t torch…The Magi had a lively postbiblical career.
Here's What History Can Tell Us About the Magi | Olivia B. Waxman | December 29, 2020 | Time
Brandy, a breakout singing sensation of the 1990s (“I Wanna Be Down”), grew up worshiping Houston.
Whitney Houston’s Final Romance: Was Ray J Using Her for Reality TV? | Ramin Setoodeh | February 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the God-fearing, heavily Baptist town of West Memphis, devil worshiping became a scourge to exorcise.
‘Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory’: Its Road to the Academy Awards | Lorenza Muñoz | February 22, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
He was the self-appointed defender of the Arabs against the “fire-worshiping Persians,” and against the Americans.
Panetta's Freudian Slip | Fouad Ajami | July 12, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST

Romney was raised in the Detroit suburbs as an Al Kaline–worshiping Tigers fan.
Jock the Vote | Bryan Curtis | July 7, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
By his account, he was brought up in Los Angeles by a drug-dealer father and a frequently nude, goddess-worshiping mother.
Shia LaBeouf's Wild World | Kim Masters | June 22, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Her style was a great contrast to the earlier hero-worshiping and glorification of ante-bellum days in Virginia.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia | Dorothy M. Torpey
She listened to my stories and descriptions with a most flattering interest, and I soon found myself worshiping her as a goddess.
Unveiling a Parallel | Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Marchant
I see you on the terrace in the sunshine and in the moonlight with arms outstretched to the heavens, worshiping the elements.
Polly the Pagan | Isabel Anderson
Livy and Clara are having a royal time worshiping the old masters, and I as good a time gritting my ineffectual teeth over them.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete | Albert Bigelow Paine
He had borne his journey apparently well, and Sylvia looked at him now with worshiping eyes.
Betty Vivian | L. T. Meade

British Dictionary definitions for worship (1 of 2)

worship

/ (ˈwɜːʃɪp) /

verb-ships, -shipping or -shipped or US -ships, -shiping or -shiped

(tr) to show profound religious devotion and respect to; adore or venerate (God or any person or thing considered divine)
(tr) to be devoted to and full of admiration for

(intr) to have or express feelings of profound adoration
(intr) to attend services for worship
(tr) obsolete to honour

noun

religious adoration or devotion
the formal expression of religious adoration; rites, prayers, etc

admiring love or devotion
archaic dignity or standing

Origin of worship

Old English weorthscipe, from worth 1 + -ship

Derived forms of worship

worshipable, adjective
worshipper, noun

British Dictionary definitions for Worship (2 of 2)

Worship

/ (ˈwɜːʃɪp) /

noun

mainly British (preceded by Your, His, or Her) a title used to address or refer to a mayor, magistrate, or a person of similar high rank

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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