bless
gb/blˈɛs/ us/blˈɛs/
B1
Inglês
~ 9500
Aceções
0 aceções
Verbo
B1
action
1
ask God to protect or help
To say words asking God to keep someone or something safe and happy.
Padrão de uso:
to bless [someone/something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes use 'I bless you' to mean 'I thank you' in everyday, non-religious situations. In neutral modern English, 'I thank you' or 'Thanks' is usually better unless you are speaking in a clearly religious way.
Sinónimos
pray for (Focuses on the act of prayer in general, not specifically on asking for blessing or favor.)
|
invoke God's blessing on (More formal and explicitly religious; stresses calling down God's favor.)
Antónimos
curse (Asks for harm or bad luck instead of help or protection.)
Colocações
God bless you
|bless this house
|bless our family
|bless the children
|bless the couple
|bless the meal
Temas
religion
|family
|emotions
|communication
Exemplos
- The priest blessed the couple during the wedding ceremony.
- We gathered around the table and asked God to bless the food.
- Her grandmother quietly blessed the child before he left for school.
- They knelt and prayed, asking God to bless their new home.
- May God bless this community and keep everyone safe.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The pastor blessed the baby in church.
- Every night she asks God to bless her parents.
- We held hands and asked God to bless our trip.
- He blessed the food before they started to eat.
- They asked the priest to bless their new house.
Verbo
B2
action
2
give someone a special good thing
To give someone something very good or lucky, often spoken as if it comes from God or life.
Padrão de uso:
to bless [someone] with [something]; to be blessed with [something]
Erro comum:
Learners often forget the past participle form and say *'I am bless with two children'* instead of the correct *'I am blessed with two children'*. This meaning usually appears in the passive: 'be blessed with [something]'.
Sinónimos
endow (More formal; often used for natural qualities or official gifts, not everyday good luck.)
|
favor (Stresses showing preference or kindness, not always about giving a concrete thing.)
Antónimos
deprive (Means to take something away or not allow someone to have something good.)
Colocações
bless someone with a child
|blessed with talent
|blessed with good health
|bless the land with rain
|blessed with beauty
|blessed with good friends
Temas
life
|emotions
|success
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- They felt that God had blessed them with three healthy children.
- The city is blessed with sunshine for most of the year.
- She has been blessed with a beautiful singing voice.
- The region was finally blessed with heavy rain after months of drought.
- I’m blessed with colleagues who always support me.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- We are blessed with two happy kids.
- This town is blessed with clean air.
- He feels blessed with many good friends.
- The farm was blessed with a good harvest.
- She says God blessed her with a new job.
Verbo
B2
action
3
make holy by religious ritual
To say special religious words over something to make it holy or protected.
Padrão de uso:
to bless [object/place/person]
Erro comum:
Learners may mix this ritual sense with simply 'praying'. 'Bless' here means a special ceremony that makes something holy, not just any kind of prayer.
Sinónimos
consecrate (Formal and technical; used mainly in religious or ceremonial contexts.)
|
sanctify (Formal and religious; strongly emphasizes making something holy.)
Antónimos
desecrate (Means to damage or treat something holy with great disrespect.)
Colocações
bless the water
|bless the bread
|bless the church
|bless the graves
|bless the altar
|bless the flags
Temas
religion
|ceremony
|culture
Exemplos
- The bishop blessed the new church before the first service.
- The priest blessed the bread and wine during the mass.
- Monks walked through the fields to bless the crops.
- Families gathered as the pastor blessed the graves of their relatives.
- The rabbi blessed the wine and candles at the start of the ceremony.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The priest blessed the water in the bowl.
- They asked the pastor to bless their new house.
- A bishop blessed the new school building.
- The leader blessed the food in a short ritual.
- The monk blessed the small statues before they were sold.
Verbo
informal
B2
action
4
thank or show affection with words
To say ‘bless’ to someone to show that you are thankful for them or think they are sweet or kind.
Padrão de uso:
to bless [someone]; bless you for [doing something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes think this use is very religious. In modern informal English, especially British English, it is often just a soft, emotional way to say someone is kind or to say thank you, without strong religious meaning.
Sinónimos
thank (Neutral and direct; does not carry the soft, affectionate tone that 'bless' often has.)
|
praise (Focuses on saying good things about someone; less intimate or tender than this use of 'bless'.)
Antónimos
blame (Means to say someone did something wrong, opposite of showing warm gratitude or affection.)
Colocações
bless you for
|oh bless you
|ah bless him
|ah bless her
|bless you, that’s kind
Temas
emotions
|social
|informal
|communication
|relationships
Exemplos
- You brought me coffee? Oh, bless you, that’s exactly what I needed.
- Bless you for staying late to help with the report.
- I know he tried his best, bless him.
- She always remembers everyone’s birthday, bless her.
- You fixed it already? Bless you, that saves me so much time.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- You carried my bag? Oh, bless you.
- Bless you for helping me move house.
- He is so kind, bless him.
- She made us dinner, bless her.
- You waited for me, bless you.
Verbo
C1
action
5
formally approve or endorse
To say officially that a plan or action is okay, often in a formal group or office.
Padrão de uso:
to bless [plan/decision/agreement]
Erro comum:
Learners may not realize this use is often somewhat figurative or light in tone. In serious formal writing, 'approve' or 'authorize' is usually safer than 'bless'.
Sinónimos
approve (Most common neutral term for saying yes officially; does not have the light, sometimes humorous religious flavor of 'bless'.)
|
endorse (Often used for public or official support; slightly more formal.)
Antónimos
reject (Means not to accept or approve something, the opposite of blessing/approving it.)
Colocações
bless the plan
|bless the deal
|board blessed the proposal
|management blessed the project
|committee blessed the agreement
Temas
business
|politics
|work
|law
|communication
Exemplos
- The board blessed the new marketing strategy at yesterday’s meeting.
- Once legal has blessed the contract, we can sign it.
- City officials finally blessed the plan to redevelop the waterfront.
- The manager refused to bless the deal without more information.
- Investors are waiting for regulators to bless the proposed merger.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The boss blessed the plan, so we can start.
- The board must bless the project before work begins.
- The city blessed the new building project.
- Our manager will not bless this idea.
- The team was happy when the director blessed their proposal.
interjection
archaic
B2
action
6
mild exclamation of surprise
An old-style word you may hear in phrases like ‘Bless me!’ to show surprise or emotion.
Erro comum:
Learners may think this is common in modern everyday speech. It is now mostly old-fashioned or used for humor or in stories; in real conversation people more often say things like 'Wow' or 'Oh my God'.
Sinónimos
goodness (As in 'Goodness!', a mild exclamation with a similar soft tone.)
Colocações
bless me
|well, bless my soul
|oh, bless my heart
Temas
emotions
|speech
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- “Bless me,” he said, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
- Well, bless my soul, you’ve grown since I last saw you.
- Bless me, that was a louder noise than I thought it would be.
- “Bless my heart,” she laughed, “I completely forgot your birthday.”
- He opened the door and, bless me, the room was already full.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- “Bless me,” he said when he saw the big mess.
- Well, bless my soul, you did it!
- She said, “Bless me,” when she heard the news.
- Bless my heart, I lost my keys again.
- He cried, “Bless me!” when the cat jumped on him.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
bless
IPA
GB/blˈɛs/
US/blˈɛs/
Sílabas e acento
bless (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (bless)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: bless
- 3rd Person Singular: blesses
- Present Participle: blessing
- Past: blessed, blest
- Past Participle: blessed
Família de palavras
Expressões
be blessed with [something]
1/bˈi blˈɛst wˈɪθ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
have a special good quality or thing
To have something very good, like health, beauty, or a nice family, as if it is a special gift.
Exemplos
- The country is blessed with rich natural resources.
- She is blessed with an amazing memory.
- We are blessed with wonderful neighbors who always help us.
bless (someone’s) heart
1/blˈɛs sˈʌmwˌʌnz hˈɑɹt/
idiom
informal
sympathetic or gently critical comment
An informal phrase, especially in Southern American English, used to show sympathy or affection, or sometimes to soften a criticism of someone.
Exemplos
- “Bless her heart, she really tried, but the cake didn’t turn out well,” he said kindly.
- He’s doing his best, bless his heart, even if he’s a bit confused.
- She looked at the tired nurse and said, “Bless your heart, you must be exhausted.”
bless you
1/blˈɛs jˈu/
fixed phrase
polite phrase after a sneeze
A polite thing you say to someone right after they sneeze.
Exemplos
- She sneezed loudly, and everyone around her said, “Bless you.”
- If a colleague sneezes in the office, it’s common to say, “Bless you.”
- He sneezed three times in a row and kept hearing, “Bless you, bless you, bless you.”
bless you for [doing something]
1/blˈɛs jˈu fɚ dˈuɪŋ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
informal
warm or emotional thanks
A friendly way to thank someone for doing something kind or helpful.
Exemplos
- Bless you for watching the kids while I was at work.
- You brought food for us? Bless you for thinking of our family.
- Bless you for fixing my computer so quickly.
God bless
1/ɡˈɑd blˈɛs/
fixed phrase
religious-style closing or farewell
A phrase often used at the end of a talk, message, or letter to say you hope God will help or protect the listener or reader.
Exemplos
- Thank you for listening tonight. God bless.
- He ended the email to his church group with, “See you Sunday. God bless.”
- The singer waved to the crowd and shouted, “Good night, everyone. God bless!”
God bless you
1/ɡˈɑd blˈɛs jˈu/
fixed phrase
wish for God’s help or care
A phrase used to ask God to take care of someone or be kind to them; sometimes also said after a sneeze.
Exemplos
- “Thank you for your kindness. God bless you,” the woman said.
- At the end of his speech, the leader said, “God bless you, and God bless our country.”
- She hugged her son at the airport and whispered, “God bless you and keep you safe.”