blessing 1 of 2

noun

ˈble-siŋ How to pronounce blessing (audio)
Definition of blessingnext
1
as in prayer
a prayer calling for divine care, protection, or favor that rabbi always ends the service with a short blessing

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2
as in benefit
something that provides happiness or does good for a person or thing winning the lottery shortly after being laid off was an unexpected blessing

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3
as in approval
an acceptance of something as satisfactory Mr. Roberts promptly gave his blessing to his daughter's choice of husband

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4
as in consecration
the act of making something holy through religious ritual traditionally, worshippers kneel during the blessing of the communion wafers

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blessing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of bless
1
as in consecrating
to make holy through prayers or ritual the priest blessed the water, thus allowing it to be used as holy water for various rites

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2
as in celebrating
to proclaim the glory of bless the name of God

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3
as in gifting
to furnish freely or naturally with some power, quality, or attribute blessed with a knack for glib conversation

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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 blessing
Noun
The reporters would ask questions about the latest intrigue, while the pilgrims would ask for prayers and blessings. — Scott Detrow, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026 So just to be out here is really a great opportunity for me, a big blessing. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
Companies start to get nervous when the percentage of shareholders blessing their pay plans dips well below the average, which is slightly above 90%, said Elizabeth Bieber, partner at the law firm Freshfields who leads shareholder engagement. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 2 June 2026 This phenomenon is formally known as the photic sneeze reflex, or as an Autosomal Cholinergic Helio-Ophthalmologic Outburst — unofficially blessing it with the spectacular acronym ACHOO syndrome. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for blessing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blessing
  1. prayer
  2. benefit
  3. approval
  4. consecration
  5. consecrating
  6. celebrating
  7. gifting
  8. petition
Noun
  • Some cardinals would stop — more often for the prayer requests than the questions — but others would keep walking.
    — Scott Detrow, NPR, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The pilgrims were going to a prayer site in Nakuru County, west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, said Martin Kivuva, archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of prayer
Noun
  • About the L’Oréal Paris Revitalift Triple Power Moisturizer As with all Revitalift products, the formula blends a trio of active ingredients to bolster anti-aging benefits.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Drawing on research across multiple fields, Fischer makes the case that when people connect, cooperate, help, and give, the benefits come back to them.
    — Wyles Daniel, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of benefit
Noun
  • His latest promise — which, like the others, would require approval from Congress — would probably cost more than $1 trillion, adding to the ballooning deficit and worsening inflation.
    — Melissa Goldin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In Massachusetts and Maine, that approval is also contingent on the federal government finding a long-term solution to the seemingly intractable problem of storing radioactive nuclear waste.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of approval
Noun
  • Leading up to the consecration celebrations, the community’s delegation of 100 monks visited the Eiffel Tower.
    — Bhakti Mamtora, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • King Harald’s consecration ceremony took place a few months after his father’s death at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim.
    — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of consecration
Verb
  • But yesterday, the group defied Pope Leo XIV by consecrating four bishops without his approval.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 July 2026
  • Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of consecrating
Verb
  • The Shangri-La Paris played host to an evening of conversations, cocktails and dinner celebrating the launch.
    — Vogue Business, Vogue, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of family and friends gathered outside Wildwood Elementary School in Culver City on Saturday for a memorial celebrating Rodriguez.
    — Breaking News, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of celebrating
Verb
  • The Imagination Library has reached families across the United States and in Canada, Britain, Australia and Ireland, gifting more than 300 million free books.
    — Maggie Penman, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2026
  • And the most interesting aspect of Sunday’s game was that one play could have possibly turned the tide of the game in Miami’s favor, but the game’s officials ended up gifting-wrapping it for the Chiefs.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Definition of gifting
Noun
  • If Kagan let the appeal proceed, the Supreme Court would have had to block the $111 billion transaction while considering the petition.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2026
  • By October 1, 2026, the Court had agreed to hear 29 cases (only 21 of which were then scheduled for oral argument) while continuing to evaluate numerous petitions for review.
    — Brian Duignan, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of petition

Browse Nearby Words

blesses
blessing
blessings
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Cite this Entry

“Blessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blessing. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on blessing

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about blessing

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