as in to beg
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
I pray you: tell me where they went
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pray
After reaching the shrines, devotees complete the pilgrimage with an arduous, hourslong trek across seven mountains, before returning to the temple to pray.
—
Zia Ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2024, to pray for the safe return of the hostages.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
But the process is notoriously uncomfortable: Medieval monks referred to the feeling that boredom provoked as acedia and attempted to pray it away.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 29 May 2025
In 2022, a Supreme Court decision related to a Washington state high school football coach who lost his job for praying on the field cleared the way for the commandments to hang in classrooms again, King said.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pray
Zia Ur-Rehman Asim Hafeez, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2024, to pray for the safe return of the hostages.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
But the process is notoriously uncomfortable: Medieval monks referred to the feeling that boredom provoked as acedia and attempted to pray it away.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 29 May 2025
In 2022, a Supreme Court decision related to a Washington state high school football coach who lost his job for praying on the field cleared the way for the commandments to hang in classrooms again, King said.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pray
Verb
-
Over the course of his prolific, three-decade career, the American filmmaker has established a signature aesthetic and working style that could convince any actor to beg him for a part — almost any actor.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
5 June 2025
-
They’re eventually joined by DC Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne) who is tired of being confined to a desk after a personal meltdown two years prior and begs Morck for a spot on the cold cases team.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
-
If a lot goes unused for seventy-five years, the cemetery can petition to reclaim it.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
After one of the last attempts before Dawn’s death, Erin petitioned the court to request that her mother be provided with psychiatric care.—
Sam Gillette,
People.com,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pray. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share