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

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Prayernoun

   Etymology: priere, Fr.

   1. Petition to heaven.

   They did say their prayers, and address’d them
   Again to sleep. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

   O remember, God!
   O hear her prayer for them as now for us. William Shakespeare.

   Were he as famous and as bold in war,
   As he is fam’d for mildness, peace and prayer. William Shakespeare.

   My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. Romans x. 1.

   Sighs now breath’d
   Inutterable, which the spirit of prayer
   Inspir’d. John Milton.

   No man can always have the same spiritual pleasure in his prayers; for the greatest saints have sometimes suffered the banishment of the heart, sometimes are fervent, sometimes they feel a barrenness of devotion; for this spirit comes and goes: Jeremy Taylor, Guide to Devotion.

   2. Entreaty; submissive importunity.

   Prayer among men is supposed a means to change the person to whom we pray; but prayer to God doth not change him, but fits us to receive the things prayed for. Edward Stillingfleet.

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

Anagrams for prayer »

1. repray

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. Georges Bernanos:

   The wish to pray is a prayer in itself. God can ask no more than that of us.

2. Gail Bradbrook:

   It's an Extinction Rebellion mythic story that's out there, but it's true, i was very gobsmacked and at the time I remember thinking,' goodness me, if he hadn't used that phrase, I wouldn't have recognized that this was my prayer being answered.'.

3. Saint Jerome:

   To saints their very slumber is a prayer.

4. Sheriff Ed Gonzalez:

   Our entire Sheriffs Office family is grieving the sudden loss of our long-time brother, sgt. Watson served his community with honor and distinction, and we ask for everyone to lift his family in prayer during this difficult time.

5. Dicky Adam Sideq:

   The most important thing is the Eid prayer. Thankfully, we can still pray together.

Popularity rank by frequency of use