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Definition of blessing noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    blessing

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ˈblɛsɪŋ//
     
     
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  1. 1[usually singular] God's help and protection, or a prayer asking for this to pray for God's blessing The bishop said the blessing. Topic CollocationsReligionbeing religious
    • believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
    • be/become an agnostic/an atheist/a believer/a Buddhist/Christian/Hindu/Muslim, etc.
    • convert to/practice a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
    • go to church/temple (= the synagogue)
    • go to the local church/mosque/synagogue
    • belong to a church/a religious community
    • join/enter the Church/a convent/a monastery/the clergy/the priesthood/a religious sect/a cult
    • praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
    celebrations and ritual
    • attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
    • perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a bar mitzvah/a bat mitzvah
    • carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite/the last rites
    • go on/make a pilgrimage
    • celebrate Christmas/Diwali/Easter/Eid/Hanukkah/Passover/Ramadan
    • observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
    • deliver/preach/hear a sermon
    • lead/address the congregation
    • say/recite a prayer/blessing
    religious texts and ideas
    • preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam/a message
    • study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
    • read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the Gospel/the Torah
    • be based on/derived from divine revelation
    • commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
    religious belief and experience
    • seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
    • strengthen/lose/question your faith
    • keep/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
  2. 2[usually singular] approval of or permission for something The government gave its blessing to the new plans. He went with his parents' blessing.
  3. 3something that is good or helpful Lack of traffic is one of the blessings of country life. It's a blessing that nobody was in the house at the time.
  4. Idioms
    a blessing in disguise
     
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    something that seems to be a problem at first, but that has good results in the end
    count your blessings
     
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    to be grateful for the good things in your life
    a mixed blessing/a blessing and a curse
     
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    something that has advantages and disadvantages Wealth can be a mixed blessing. A home studio can be a blessing and a curse for a workaholic.
See blessing in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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