worship
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The religious ceremonies that express this devotion.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
wurshuhpSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈwɝʃəp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The religious ceremonies that express this devotion.
The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
A feeling of profound love and admiration
by extension
Voluntary, utter submission; voluntary, utter deference.
also by extension
Ardent love.
chiefly british
Used as a title or term of address for various officials, including magistrates.
verb
transitive
To reverence (a deity, etc.) with supreme respect and veneration; to perform religious exercises in honour of.
transitive
To honour with extravagant love and extreme submission, as a lover; to adore; to idolize.
intransitive
To participate in religious ceremonies.
To touch, fondle, or kiss in an intensely sensual way.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The devotion accorded to a deity or to a sacred object.
Used this way, worship is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It turns up most in ethics or values and relationships contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Gentle
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Affectionate
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Where it naturally appears
- Ethics/values
- Relationships
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use worship
- “Many people gather at the church to worship together on Sundays.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The worship of planets or stars.
The worship of human beings.
The acts or rites of worshiping devils.
Someone who worships devils.
The worship of fire.
The worship of fish.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.