1
: the act of keeping awake at times when sleep is customary
also
: a period of wakefulness
2
: an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc., especially at night
a candlelight vigil
kept vigil at her bedside
3
a
: a watch formerly kept on the night before a religious feast with prayer or other devotions
b
: the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation
c
: evening or nocturnal devotions or prayers
—usually used in plural
Examples of vigil in a Sentence
kept vigil at their ailing son's bedside the entire time he was in the hospital
Recent Examples on the Web
Demonstrations include an interfaith vigil in Dublin, California, a rally outside the ICE Field Office in Los Angeles, and a protest at the Border Patrol Station in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
—
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
At my university, University of Southern California, a multi-ethnic ecumenical cohort held candlelight vigils, teach-ins, and rallies demanding an end to the slaughter.
—Sandy Tolan, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Dozens of locals, many of them moms and wives of the dead, had been holding regular vigils and protests in front of the jail.
—Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
The brawl at the Far Southwest Side restaurant ignited outrage in the neighborhood, where community members held a vigil for Barraco, who suffered a brain bleed.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigil
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
At my university, University of Southern California, a multi-ethnic ecumenical cohort held candlelight vigils, teach-ins, and rallies demanding an end to the slaughter.
—Sandy Tolan, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
Dozens of locals, many of them moms and wives of the dead, had been holding regular vigils and protests in front of the jail.
—Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
The brawl at the Far Southwest Side restaurant ignited outrage in the neighborhood, where community members held a vigil for Barraco, who suffered a brain bleed.
—Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vigil
Cite this Entry
“Vigil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vigil. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vigil
noun
vig·il
ˈvij-əl 
1
a
: the day before a religious feast
b
: prayers or religious services held in the evening or at night
—usually used in plural
2
: an act or period of staying awake at times when one normally would be sleeping
an all-night vigil spent awaiting her return
3
: an act or period of attentive watching : watch
kept vigil at the bedside of his ill son
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