TOP

Definition of grace noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

     

    grace

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//ɡreɪs//
     
     
    jump to other results
    of movement
  1. 1[uncountable] an attractive quality of movement that is smooth, elegant, and controlled She moves with the natural grace of a ballerina.
  2. behavior
  3. 2[uncountable] a quality of behavior that is polite and pleasant and deserves respect He conducted himself with grace and dignity throughout the trial.
  4. 3graces [plural] ways of behaving that people think are polite and acceptable He was not particularly well versed in the social graces.
  5. extra time
  6. 4[uncountable] extra time that is given to someone to enable them to pay a bill, finish a piece of work, etc. They gave me a two-week grace period to get the money.
  7. of God
  8. 5[uncountable] the kindness that God shows toward the human race the power of divine grace It was only by the grace of God that they survived. 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
  9. prayer
  10. 6[uncountable, countable] a short prayer that is usually said before a meal to thank God for the food Let's say grace.
  11. title
  12. 7His/Her/Your Grace [countable] used as a title of respect when talking to or about an archbishop, a duke, or a duchess Their Graces the Duke and Duchess of Kent. see also coup de grâce, saving grace
  13. Idioms
    be in somebody's good graces (formal)
     
    jump to other results
    to have someone's approval and be liked by them
    fall from grace
     
    jump to other results
    to lose the trust or respect that people have for you, especially by doing something wrong or immoral
    somebody's fall from grace
     
    jump to other results
    a situation in which someone loses the trust or respect that people have for them, especially because of something wrong or immoral that they have done The biography explains the circumstances surrounding her fall from grace.
    have the (good) grace to do something
     
    jump to other results
    to be polite enough to do something, especially when you have done something wrong He didn't even have the good grace to look embarrassed.
    in a state of grace
     
    jump to other results
    (in the Roman Catholic Church) having been forgiven by God for the wrong or evil things you have done He died in a state of grace.
    there but for the grace of God (go I) (saying)
     
    jump to other results
    used to say that you could easily have been in the same difficult or unpleasant situation that someone else is in
    with bad grace
     
    jump to other results
    in an unwilling and/or rude way He handed over the money with typical bad grace.
    with good grace
     
    jump to other results
    in a willing and pleasant way You must learn to accept defeat with good grace.
    year of grace, year of our Lord (formal)
     
    jump to other results
    any particular year after the birth of Christ
See grace in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary