as in to bless
to make holy through prayers or ritual
Lincoln's memorable words at the Gettysburg battlefield, "we cannot dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we cannot hallow—this ground"
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Recent Examples of hallow
Yet, these grounds were hallowed to the African American community.
—
Chip Colwell,
The Conversation,
22 Oct. 2025
In a new political environment in which none of the new leaders could claim to be revolutionary founding fathers, Deng’s blessing hallowed Jiang and Hu and helped ensure that each survived the vicissitudes of succession politics.
—
Jonathan A. Czin,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
In a world where hallowed news organizations transform into conservative mouthpieces and milquetoast late-night jokes are grounds for suspension, satirical headlines from the Onion can feel closer to real life than parody.
—
Manisha Krishnan,
Wired News,
25 Sep. 2025
But embracing its blues roots has begun to help revitalize the town, with places like the crossroads and Ground Zero standing as legitimate tourist attractions, hallowed ground boasting visits from legendary rockers like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
—
Jim Ryan,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Chip Colwell,
The Conversation,
22 Oct. 2025
In a new political environment in which none of the new leaders could claim to be revolutionary founding fathers, Deng’s blessing hallowed Jiang and Hu and helped ensure that each survived the vicissitudes of succession politics.
—
Jonathan A. Czin,
Foreign Affairs,
21 Oct. 2025
In a world where hallowed news organizations transform into conservative mouthpieces and milquetoast late-night jokes are grounds for suspension, satirical headlines from the Onion can feel closer to real life than parody.
—
Manisha Krishnan,
Wired News,
25 Sep. 2025
But embracing its blues roots has begun to help revitalize the town, with places like the crossroads and Ground Zero standing as legitimate tourist attractions, hallowed ground boasting visits from legendary rockers like Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant.
—
Jim Ryan,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hallow
Verb
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He has been blessed with terrific talent but clearly has melded that talent to win games and keep the clubhouse on the same page.
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Despite his age, Messi is still blessed with breathtaking skill, and is also fiercely competitive, even at training.
Verb
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Generations of cinephiles promoted a version of Agee’s catechism, consecrating Griffith as film’s supreme technical and aesthetic innovator, an almost Promethean figure.
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By visiting the Basilica and blessing the new tower, the pope follows in the footsteps of Pope Benedict XVI who in 2010 consecrated the Sagrada Familia.
Cite this Entry
“Hallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hallow. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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