prayer

plural prayers

1. uncountableA practice of communicating with one's God, or with some spiritual entity.

   Through prayer I ask for God's guidance.

   1 more example

   In many cultures, prayer involves singing.

2. countableAn act of praying.

   In that spirit, we’ll close with the wish we always offer at the end of our annual review, although this time it’s more of a prayer: Happy new year.

   2020 December, Dave Barry, Year in review

   1 more example

   Then everybody once more knelt, and soon the blessing was pronounced. The choir and the clergy trooped out slowly, […], down the nave to the western door. […] At a seemingly immense distance the surpliced group stopped to say the last prayer.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter V, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

3. countableuncountableThe specific words or methods used for praying.

   Christians recite the Lord's Prayer.

   1 more example

   For Baha'is, there's a difference between obligatory prayers and devotional prayers.

4. countableuncountableA meeting held for the express purpose of praying.

   Grandpa never misses a chance to go to prayer.

5. countableA request; a petition.

   This, your honor, is my prayer; that all here be set free.

6. countablesingularuncountableThe remotest hope or chance.

   That team doesn't have a prayer of winning the championship.

plural prayers

1. One who prays.

   If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar / A hope-er^([sic]), a pray-er^([sic]), a magic bean buyer…

   1974, Shel Silverstein, “Invitation”, in Where the Sidewalk Ends, Harper Collins Publishers

   1 more example

   Out of the 37 respondents, seven are infrequent prayers who prefer to leave the precise details of their prayer life ambiguous.

   2012, Paul O'Connor, Islam in Hong Kong: Muslims and Everyday Life in China's World City