Definitions for prayer
ˈpreɪ ərprayer

Princeton's WordNet(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. prayer, supplicationnoun

   the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)

   "the priest sank to his knees in prayer"

2. prayer, petition, orisonnoun

   reverent petition to a deity

3. entreaty, prayer, appealnoun

   earnest or urgent request

   "an entreaty to stop the fighting"; "an appeal for help"; "an appeal to the public to keep calm"

4. prayernoun

   a fixed text used in praying

5. prayer, supplicantnoun

   someone who prays to God

Webster Dictionary(4.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prayernoun

   one who prays; a supplicant

2. Prayerverb

   the act of praying, or of asking a favor; earnest request or entreaty; hence, a petition or memorial addressed to a court or a legislative body

3. Prayerverb

   the act of addressing supplication to a divinity, especially to the true God; the offering of adoration, confession, supplication, and thanksgiving to the Supreme Being; as, public prayer; secret prayer

4. Prayerverb

   the form of words used in praying; a formula of supplication; an expressed petition; especially, a supplication addressed to God; as, a written or extemporaneous prayer; to repeat one's prayers

Freebase(3.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prayer

   Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with a deity, an object of worship, or a spiritual entity through deliberate communication. Prayer can be a form of religious practice, may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of a hymn, incantation, formal creed, or a spontaneous utterance in the praying person. There are different forms of prayer such as petitionary prayer, prayers of supplication, thanksgiving, and worship/praise. Prayer may be directed towards a deity, spirit, deceased person, or lofty idea, for the purpose of worshipping, requesting guidance, requesting assistance, confessing sins or to express one's thoughts and emotions. Thus, people pray for many reasons such as personal benefit or for the sake of others. Yoga is also a common form of prayer. Most major religions involve prayer in one way or another. Some ritualize the act of prayer, requiring a strict sequence of actions or placing a restriction on who is permitted to pray, while others teach that prayer may be practiced spontaneously by anyone at any time. Scientific studies regarding the use of prayer have mostly concentrated on its effect on the healing of sick or injured people. Meta-studies of the studies in this field have been performed showing evidence only for no effect or a potentially small effect. For instance, a 2006 meta analysis on 14 studies concluded that there is "no discernable effect" while a 2007 systemic review of intercessory prayer reported inconclusive results, noting that 7 of 17 studies had "small, but significant, effect sizes" but the review noted that the most methodologically rigorous studies failed to produce significant findings. The efficacy of petition in prayer for physical healing to a deity has been evaluated in numerous other studies, with contradictory results. There has been some criticism of the way the studies were conducted.

The Roycroft Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. prayer

   A supplication intended for the person who prays. Only very dull people doubt its efficacy.

Matched Categories

1. • Request
   • Sacred Text

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prayer' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #4373

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prayer' in Written Corpus Frequency: #4732

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'prayer' in Nouns Frequency: #1354

How to pronounce prayer?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say prayer in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of prayer in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of prayer in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of prayer in a Sentence

1. Alexis Carrel:

   If you make a habit of sincere prayer, your life will be very noticeably and profoundly altered. Prayer stamps with its indelible mark our actions and demeanor. A tranquility of bearing, a facial and bodily repose, are observed in those whose inner lives are thus enriched. . . . Properly understood, prayer is a mature activity indispensable to the fullest development of personality . . . . Only in prayer do we achieve that complete and harmonious assembly of body, mind and spirit which gives the frail human reed its unshakable strengths.

2. G. E. Lessing:

   One single grateful thought raised to heaven is the most perfect prayer.

3. Gandhi:

   To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.

4. Vikrant Parsai:

   There is only one road to God which is locked with the key of prayer and you are that key.

5. Saeed Abedini:

   This has been an answer to prayer, we look forward to Saeed's return and want to thank the millions of people who have stood with us in prayer during this most difficult time.

Popularity rank by frequency of use