as in to beg
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
I pray you: tell me where they went
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Recent Examples of pray
How Nashville's bishop and parishioners prayed after Pope Francis' death
Pope Francis died April 21 at age 88, and the Nashville Catholic community came together to pray.
—
Maria Leontaras, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
Originally performed as a ritual dance to honor the gods and pray for a good harvest, Sumo has, over time, evolved into Japan’s national pastime.
—Katie Chang, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Attendants listened as diocese's interim head Rev. James Misko delivered a sermon about resurrection and prayed for the recently deceased pope.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Later outside Al-Aqsa Hospital, men prayed over shrouded bodies and, in a scene now familiar, if no less heartbreaking after 20 months of war, one of them picked up a tiny white bundle to carry the child to the cemetery.
—Aurora Almendral, NBC news, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pray
Maria Leontaras, The Tennessean, 15 July 2025
Originally performed as a ritual dance to honor the gods and pray for a good harvest, Sumo has, over time, evolved into Japan’s national pastime.
—Katie Chang, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
Attendants listened as diocese's interim head Rev. James Misko delivered a sermon about resurrection and prayed for the recently deceased pope.
—Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Later outside Al-Aqsa Hospital, men prayed over shrouded bodies and, in a scene now familiar, if no less heartbreaking after 20 months of war, one of them picked up a tiny white bundle to carry the child to the cemetery.
—Aurora Almendral, NBC news, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for pray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pray
Verb
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This begs the question: What else is there to say about Young and his offseason?—
Alex Zietlow
July 23,
Charlotte Observer,
23 July 2025
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On top of that, the battery easily goes a week without begging for a charger, and the square AMOLED display is way easier to read mid-run than a round one.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
21 July 2025
Verb
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After the American Revolution, some widows of soldiers who wanted to petition for their late husbands’ pensions submitted samplers as evidence of their family history.—
Karin Wulf,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 July 2025
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As part of the post-trial proceedings in 2018 involving Geyser, Judge Michael O. Bohren issued a four-decade commitment order for treatment, though that order allowed Geyser to petition every six months for conditional release.—
Jim Riccioli,
jsonline.com,
17 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pray. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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