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
There's a broad acknowledgement that the party infrastructure has been hallowed out, that there needs to be more organizing and resource-sharing at the local level on upward, and that this will take money, which is currently the party's biggest problem.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 8 Jan. 2025
So, this rom-com isn’t likely to crack the AFI Top 100, but John Tucker Must Die commands hallowed ground in the revenge-movie canon.
—Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
But long before stars like Hamilton, one name was hallowed: Ayrton Senna.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
This week's quiz is highlighted by holidays, hallowed sites and competitions on the high seas — plus a few other surprises.
—Kerry J. Byrne, Fox News, 1 Sep. 2024
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
There's a broad acknowledgement that the party infrastructure has been hallowed out, that there needs to be more organizing and resource-sharing at the local level on upward, and that this will take money, which is currently the party's biggest problem.
—Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 8 Jan. 2025
So, this rom-com isn’t likely to crack the AFI Top 100, but John Tucker Must Die commands hallowed ground in the revenge-movie canon.
—Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
But long before stars like Hamilton, one name was hallowed: Ayrton Senna.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
This week's quiz is highlighted by holidays, hallowed sites and competitions on the high seas — plus a few other surprises.
—Kerry J. Byrne, Fox News, 1 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hallow
Verb
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This phenomenon is formally known as the photic sneeze reflex, or as an Autosomal Cholinergic Helio-Ophthalmologic Outburst — unofficially blessing it with the spectacular acronym ACHOO syndrome.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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My family is blessed to have this family in our lives.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The vessels themselves are inspired by the Catholic ritual of Olea Sancta (Holy Oils), the three sacred oils used in sacraments and blessings and consecrated during the annual Chrism Mass in Holy Week.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Passover commemorates the birth of a Jewish nation consecrated to serve Yahweh, or God, not the Pharaoh.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hallow.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hallow. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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