- [countable] words that you say to God giving thanks or asking for help
- to say your prayers
- prayer for somebody/something prayers for the sick
- We offer our prayers for all those who have died in war.
- He arrived at that very moment, as if in answer to her prayer.
- Their prayers were answered and the child was found safe and well.
- prayer to somebody/something She stopped saying nightly prayers to God.
Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religious- believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
- be/become a believer/an atheist/an agnostic/a Christian/Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist, etc.
- convert to/practise a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
- go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
- go to the local church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara
- belong to a church/a religious community
- join/enter the church/a convent/a monastery/a religious sect/the clergy/the priesthood
- praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
- attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
- perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a mitzvah
- carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite
- go on/make a pilgrimage
- celebrate Christmas/Easter/Eid/Ramadan/Hanukkah/Passover/Diwali
- observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
- deliver/preach/hear a sermon
- lead/address the congregation
- say/recite a prayer/blessing
- preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam
- study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
- read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the gospel/the Torah
- be based on/derive from divine revelation
- commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
- seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
- strengthen/lose your faith
- keep/practise/practice/abandon the faith
- save/purify/lose your soul
- obey/follow/keep/break/violate a commandment/Islamic law/Jewish law
- be/accept/do God’s will
- receive/experience divine grace
- achieve/attain enlightenment/salvation/nirvana
- undergo a conversion/rebirth/reincarnation
- hear/answer a prayer
- commit/confess/forgive a sin
- do/perform penance
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsb1- He gave a prayer of thanks to the troops.
- She spoke a brief prayer over their meal.
- I sent up a quick prayer and entered the interview room.
- Let us remember them in our prayers today.
- She uttered a silent prayer.
- Thankfully, his prayers were granted.
- Whenever I pass a temple, I mutter a quick prayer.
- a prayer for peace
- a prayer leader at the mosque
- a multi-faith prayer room in the college
- a Buddhist prayer hall
- a Jewish prayer shawl
- He fiddled with his prayer beads.
- Buddhist prayer flags fluttering in the breeze
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- quick
- short
- …
- give
- offer
- offer up
- …
- book
- beads
- mat
- …
- at prayer
- in prayer
- prayer for
- …
- the answer to somebody’s prayers
- not have a prayer
- [countable] a fixed form of words that you can say when you speak to God
- It was a prayer she had learnt as a child.
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsb1- the five daily ritual prayers of Islam
- Priests chanted prayers and read from sacred texts.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- quick
- short
- …
- give
- offer
- offer up
- …
- book
- beads
- mat
- …
- at prayer
- in prayer
- prayer for
- …
- the answer to somebody’s prayers
- not have a prayer
- [uncountable] the act or habit of praying
- in prayer They knelt in prayer.
- We believe in the power of prayer.
- They held a prayer vigil throughout the night.
- spiritual healing through prayer
- a national day of prayer
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsb2- He spends an hour each day at prayer.
- Local groups meet for prayer.
- She moved her lips in silent prayer.
- the contentious issue of school prayer
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- quick
- short
- …
- give
- offer
- offer up
- …
- book
- beads
- mat
- …
- at prayer
- in prayer
- prayer for
- …
- the answer to somebody’s prayers
- not have a prayer
- prayers[plural] a religious meeting that takes place regularly in which people say prayers
- Muslims attend Friday prayers at the mosque.
Extra ExamplesTopics Religion and festivalsc2- Students are required to attend prayers twice a week.
- We had family prayers before breakfast.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- quick
- short
- …
- give
- offer
- offer up
- …
- book
- beads
- mat
- …
- at prayer
- in prayer
- prayer for
- …
- the answer to somebody’s prayers
- not have a prayer
- [countable, usually singular] a thing that you hope for very much
- My prayer is that one day he will walk again.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- little
- quick
- short
- …
- give
- offer
- offer up
- …
- book
- beads
- mat
- …
- at prayer
- in prayer
- prayer for
- …
- the answer to somebody’s prayers
- not have a prayer
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French preiere, based on Latin precarius ‘obtained by entreaty’, from prex, prec- ‘prayer’.
Idioms
See prayer in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee prayer in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishon a wing and a prayer
- with only a very slight chance of successTopics Successc2
Check pronunciation:
prayer