Blessing Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms blessing American [bles-ing] / ˈblɛs ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or words of a person who blesses.

2. a special favor, mercy, or benefit.

   the blessings of liberty.

   Synonyms: bounty , profit , gain , boon , advantage

3. a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.

4. the invoking of God's favor upon a person.

   The son was denied his father's blessing.

5. praise; devotion; worship, especially grace said before a meal.

   The children took turns reciting the blessing.

6. approval or good wishes.

   The proposed law had the blessing of the governor.

blessing British / ˈblɛsɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of invoking divine protection or aid

2. the words or ceremony used for this

3. a short prayer of thanksgiving before or after a meal; grace

4. Also called: brachah. brocho. Judaism

   1. a short prayer prescribed for a specific occasion and beginning "Blessed art thou, O Lord…"

   2. a section of the liturgy including a similar formula

5. approval; good wishes

   her father gave his blessing to the marriage

6. the bestowal of a divine gift or favour

7. a happy event or state of affairs

   a blessing in disguise

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 blessing Idioms

More idioms and phrases containing blessing

• give thanks for small blessings
• mixed blessing

Etymology

Origin of blessing

First recorded before 900; Middle English blessinge, blessunge, Old English bletsung, bledsung; equivalent to bless + -ing 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Today he works for a skilled-trade union that is deploying two dozen workers to the site, and he hails the reopening as a “blessing.”

From The Wall Street Journal

By September 2025, Booker announced their engagement on Instagram, calling her “one of the greatest unearned blessings of my life.”

From Salon

Other discoveries include a votive token depicting Christ offering a blessing.

From The Wall Street Journal

“For many years I have shared my family with you all—the highs and lows, the ups and downs, and all of the blessings and beautiful memories in between,” the on-screen star wrote.

From MarketWatch

Practical advice from one Charles Dickens in “Sketches by Boz”: “Reflect upon your present blessings—of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• asset
• boon
• gift
• good fortune
• good luck
• kindness
• miracle

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.