pray
verb /preɪ/
/preɪ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they pray | /preɪ/ /preɪ/ |
| he / she / it prays | /preɪz/ /preɪz/ |
| past simple prayed | /preɪd/ /preɪd/ |
| past participle prayed | /preɪd/ /preɪd/ |
| -ing form praying | /ˈpreɪɪŋ/ /ˈpreɪɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to speak to God, especially to give thanks or ask for help
- They knelt down and prayed.
- pray for somebody/something I'll pray for you.
- to pray for peace
- pray to somebody for somebody/something She prayed to God for an end to her sufferings.
- pray to somebody I prayed to the Lord and hoped for the best.
- pray (that)… We prayed (that) she would recover from her illness.
- pray to do something He prayed to be forgiven.
- + speech ‘Please God don't let it happen,’ she prayed.
Homophones praise | prays | preyspraise prays preys/preɪz//preɪz/- praise noun
- This organization has never received the praise and recognition it deserves.
- praise verb
- Always praise your child for making an effort.
- prays verb (third person of pray)
- Aeneas prays to Jupiter, who sends rain.
- preys verb (third person of prey)
- The snake preys on small mammals and birds.
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsb1- She asked the priest to pray with her.
- He thought if he prayed hard enough God might eventually listen.
- Diane prayed over the body for a moment.
- I silently prayed for my release.
- She prays constantly for forgiveness.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- desperately
- earnestly
- fervently
- …
- for
- over
- to
- …
- hope and pray
- let us pray
- [intransitive, transitive] to hope very much that something will happen
- pray for something We're praying for good weather on Saturday.
- pray (that)… I prayed that nobody would notice my mistake.
- She hoped and prayed that Jessie would be back the next day.
Extra Examples- Let's pray Mick doesn't find out.
- He was secretly praying that his offer would be rejected.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- desperately
- earnestly
- fervently
- …
- for
- over
- to
- …
- hope and pray
- let us pray
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘ask earnestly’): from Old French preier, from late Latin precare, alteration of Latin precari ‘entreat’.