blessing

noun

bless·​ing ˈble-siŋ 

1

a

: the act or words of one that blesses

say the blessing over the wine

a priestly blessing

b

: approval, encouragement

asked her parents for their blessing before he proposed

2

: a thing conducive to happiness or welfare

My daughter is a blessing to me in my old age.

Their absence turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Count your blessings.

3

: grace (see grace entry 1 sense 5) said at a meal

said the blessing before dinner

Synonyms

• benediction
• benison

Examples of blessing in a Sentence

Presumably he was acting with the government's blessing.

They got married without their parents' blessing.

We asked the Lord's blessing on us and on our project.

He said a blessing before the meal.

Recent Examples on the Web

The one blessing in disguise could be Narbonne players using their time off to focus on school. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024

Watch on Peacock The Fly David Cronenberg’s mind works in some truly demented ways, which is a blessing to horror movie fans. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 25 Oct. 2024

The fast food giant had nothing to do with the former president’s appearance and didn’t even need to give its blessing. 📧 Check out all of CNN’s newsletters. —Meghan Pryce, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

The women sought and received the blessing of Basil Brave Heart, who felt that returning the items to Nebraska would foster healing among both white Americans and Native people. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see bless

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing blessing

• mixed blessing
• second blessing

Kids Definition

blessing

noun

bless·​ing

ˈbles-iŋ

1

: the act or words of one that blesses

2

: approval

gave my blessing to the plan

3

: something that makes one happy or content

4

: grace said at a meal