pray

/prei/

Thân thiện

She kneels by her bed to pray before sleeping.

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To make a devout or earnest request, especially to a deity: To speak to God or a god, often to give thanks, ask for help, or express devotion.
   • To make a sincere and humble request or entreaty: To ask someone earnestly or respectfully for something.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • They pray for peace every day. (They make a devout request to God for peace.)
  • I pray you, reconsider your decision. (I earnestly ask you to reconsider your decision.)

Advanced Usage

• "to pray for": to make a devout request on behalf of someone or something.
  • We pray for the sick and the suffering.
• "to pray to": to address one's prayers to a specific deity or object of worship.
  • She prays to the goddess of wisdom.

Variants and Related Words

• Prayer (n): the act of praying; a devout request or a set of words used in praying.
  • He said a prayer before the meal.
• Prayerful (adj): inclined to pray; devout.
  • She maintained a prayerful attitude.

Synonyms

• Implore: to beg someone earnestly or desperately.
• Beseech: to ask someone urgently and fervently to do something.
• Entreat: to ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Pray" is not commonly used to form phrasal verbs in the same way as other verbs. Its core meanings are typically expressed directly or with prepositions like "for" and "to.")

Related Idioms

• "Pray tell": (archaic or formal, often used ironically) used to ask someone to explain something.
  • And what, pray tell, is the meaning of this?
• "I pray that...": used to express a strong hope or wish.
  • I pray that you arrive safely.

Học thuật

Verb

1. call upon in supplication; entreat
   • I beg you to stop!
2. address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
   • pray to the Lord

Từ đồng nghĩa

• beg
• implore