pray

verb

ˈprā How to pronounce pray (audio)
Definition of praynext
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

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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 Each nude, life-size creation represents a mother, wife, sister or other female relative in her darkest grief -- weeping, praying, screaming, collapsing. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Native American tribes across California have hosted Big Time gatherings for millennia, creating a space for the communities to pray together, find spiritual and physical healing, trade and sell goods and meet up with old friends and family members. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 23 Aug. 2026 Silvia looks calm, his eyes open and head propped up slightly as Hood prayed furiously over him. — Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026 During those visits, Hussien and Sam would close the living-room doors and pray. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pray
  1. beg
  2. petition
Verb
  • Gianni Infantino went from immovable king of football to touring the world, begging people for support.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • But this begs the parallel question of what the current museum architecture arises from and reflects, and why the oceanic and the oligarchic logics of the museum’s reformation now travel together here.
    — George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of beg
Verb
  • If the teams refuse to enroll the players who benefit from the TRO, those players could petition Hoffman to clarify that his order also blocks the SEC from punishing schools.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The accusations surfaced after the Coalition Opposing Governmental Secrecy (COGS) petitioned to have a court unseal the divorce records dating to 2012.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of petition

Browse Nearby Words

prattling
pray
prayed
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Cite this Entry

“Pray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pray. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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