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grace

grace

34 2.8
A short prayer said before or after a meal
  • noun
  • /ɡreɪs/
translation icon : bendición
  • Sometimes they said grace before dinner; she could see them through her porch window.
  • say grace
  • grace before meals
  • grace before dinner

You know that old song by the rivers of Babylon that's related to the grace that we say after meals.

Examples

  • Adam is six months old. He watches his parents as they say grace.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • When Daddy said grace, he thanked God for "all those present at our table."

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Yes, um, it's just... would you mind if we said grace first?

  • June, do you say grace at Thanksgiving?

  • "Sheila, please say the grace tonight," my father asked, once we were all assembled around the dinner table.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • We bowed our heads, and then my mother said grace over the food.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • We were sitting around the table by then, and Luanne had finished saying grace.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Delilah said grace: "Our Heavenly Father, bless this food we are about to receive."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Dear God, bless this food we are about to eat, and bless the harvest of the grapes you have given us in your wisdom and grace, amen.

  • Before we eat, let's pause for a moment and say grace to give thanks.

Synonyms

thanks
vsgrace
1.0

Words you say or write to show you are grateful

is a brief mealtime prayer instead of general verbal gratitude
thanksgiving
vsgrace
247 3.2

A short prayer or words that show you are grateful, often before a meal

is a short mealtime prayer rather than a general religious act
blessing
vsgrace
79 1.8

A short prayer asking God or a higher power for help

is a short mealtime prayer that expresses gratitude rather than requesting help

Idioms

A loss of status and respect after wrongdoing

To begin behaving badly again and lose people's respect

Words people say to show thanks when something happens because of Allah's kindness

Compounds

34 6.8

Help from God that people do not earn

10 3.5

Extra time after a deadline when you can still do something without penalty

saving grace
  • Informal
7 4.4

A good quality that makes someone or something acceptable despite faults

4 9.5

A time when God forgives a person and frees them from sin

A calm, elegant way of moving and behaving

grace note
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A very short decorative note played quickly before a main note

free grace
  • Formal
1 9.9

God gives kindness without being earned to save people

1 9.9

A small European plant with strong, bitter-smelling leaves that may irritate skin

saving grace
  • Formal
1 8.5

A gift from God that makes a person holy and helps them be saved

A final action that ends something, often to stop suffering

Calm, polite, graceful behavior when people watch or question you

A soft, quick, elegant way of moving like a rabbit

9.9

A cup passed around at the end of a meal for the final toast

An American actress who became the princess of Monaco after marrying Prince Rainier III

year of grace
  • Archaic
9.5

A year counted since the birth of Jesus, used in formal or historical dates

Surface Forms

grace singular
graces plural

Etymology

Grace comes from the Latin root gratia, meaning 'thanks' or 'favor'. The small prayer before or after a meal is called grace because it is a short 'thank you', which links the old meaning of 'thanks' to the modern use.