Prayer Meaning
/pɹɛə/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity.
nounAn act of praying.
Sentence Examples
Your team doesn't have a prayer to win the championship game.
Your prayer will be answered.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
She said a quiet ____ for her sick grandmother's health every night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The congregation bowed their heads in silent ____ before the service began.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English preiere, from Old French preiere, from Early Medieval Latin precāria, derived from Latin precem. Displaced native Old English ġebed (whence modern English bead).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"In that spirit, we’ll close with the wish we always offer at the end of our annual review, although this time it’s more of a prayer: Happy new year."
— 2020 December, Dave Barry, Year in review:
"If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar / A hope-er^([sic]), a pray-er^([sic]), a magic bean buyer…"
— 1974, Shel Silverstein, “Invitation”, in Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers:
"Out of the 37 respondents, seven are infrequent prayers who prefer to leave the precise details of their prayer life ambiguous."
— 2012, Paul O'Connor, Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China's World City:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She said a quiet ____ for her sick grandmother's health every night.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The congregation bowed their heads in silent ____ before the service began.