I. wor ‧ ship 1 /ˈwɜːʃɪp $ ˈwɜːr-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle worshipped , present participle worshipping also worshiped , worshiping American English )
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to show respect and love for a god, especially by praying in a religious building:
They all worship the same god.
a church where people have worshipped for hundreds of years
2 . [transitive] to admire and love someone very much:
He absolutely worships her.
3 . worship the ground somebody walks on to admire or love someone so much that you cannot see their faults
—worshipper noun [countable] :
She was a regular worshipper at the parish church.
⇨ ↑ hero worship
II. worship 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: weorthscipe 'being worthy, respect' , from weorth ( ⇨ ↑ worth 1 ) + -scipe ( , ↑ -ship ) ]
1 . the activity of praying or singing in a religious building in order to show respect and love for a god
in worship
They bowed their heads in worship.
worship of
Worship of the old gods still continues in remote areas of the country.
The ceremony must take place in a recognized place of worship.
We were invited to join in their act of worship (=religious ceremony) .
2 . Your/His Worship British English formal used to talk to or about a public official such as a ↑ mayor or ↑ magistrate