Definition

1. Verb:

   • To show reverence and adoration for a deity or sacred object: This is the primary religious meaning, involving acts of prayer, ritual, or devotion directed towards a divine being.
   • To feel or express profound love, admiration, or devotion for someone or something: This secular meaning describes an intense, often uncritical, admiration for a person, ideal, or object.

2. Noun:

   • The feeling or expression of profound love and admiration: A deep, reverent feeling of respect and adoration.
   • The acts or ceremonies that constitute the expression of religious reverence: The formal practice of showing devotion to a deity, such as through prayer, song, or ritual.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:
  • Many people worship in churches, mosques, or temples. (This shows attending a religious service.)
  • She worships her grandmother and values all her advice. (This shows profound secular admiration.)
• Noun:
  • They gathered for morning worship. (This refers to a religious service.)
  • His worship of material wealth blinded him to other values. (This refers to a secular, intense devotion.)

Advanced Usage

• "hero worship": Extreme and uncritical admiration for a famous person.
  • The hero worship of the athlete was evident among the young fans.
• "place of worship": A building or site dedicated to religious ceremonies (e.g., a church, temple, mosque).
  • The city has places of worship for many different faiths.

Variants and Related Words

• Worshipper (noun): A person who worships, especially in a religious context.
  • The worshippers knelt in prayer.
• Worshipful (adjective): Showing or feeling reverence and admiration.
  • He spoke in a worshipful tone about his mentor.

Synonyms

• Verb: Revere, venerate, adore, idolize, glorify.
• Noun: Adoration, veneration, devotion, reverence, adulation.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

• Worship at the altar of (something): To be excessively devoted to something, often a secular concept like money or fame.
  • He was accused of worshipping at the altar of corporate success.

Related Idioms

• (Your/His/Her) Worship: A formal title of respect used when addressing certain officials, like mayors or magistrates, in some countries.
  • "Thank you for your time, Your Worship," the lawyer said to the mayor.

Verb

1. attend religious services
   • They worship in the traditional manner
2. show devotion to (a deity)
   • Many Hindus worship Shiva
3. love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
   • Many teenagers idolized the Beatles

Noun

1. a feeling of profound love and admiration
2. the activity of worshipping