Definition of 'awe'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense awes
, past tense, past participle awed
1. uncountable noun
2. verb [usually passive, no cont]
If you are awed by someone or something, they make you feel respectful and amazed, though often rather frightened.
3.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
awe in British English
noun
1.
verb
3. (transitive)
to inspire with reverence or dread
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
aweless (ˈaweless) or US awless (ˈawless) adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old Norse agi; related to Gothic agis fear, Greek akhesthai to be grieved
Word Frequency
awe in American English
noun
1.
3. Obsolete
dread
Idioms:
SYNONYMY NOTE: awe refers to a feeling of fearful or profound respect or wonder inspired by the greatness,
superiority, grandeur, etc. of a person or thing and suggests an immobilizing effect; reverence is applied to a feeling of deep respect mingled with love for something one holds
sacred or inviolable and suggests a display of homage, deference, etc.; veneration implies worshipful reverence for a person or thing regarded as hallowed or sacred
and specifically suggests acts of religious devotion; dread, as it comes into comparison here, suggests extreme fear mixed with awe or reverence
[a dread of divine retribution]Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME age, aghe, awe < ON agi < IE base *agh-, to be depressed, afraid > OE ege, Goth agis, Gr achosWord Frequency
awe in American English
(ɔ) (verb awed, awing)
noun
SYNONYMS 1. wonder, veneration.ANTONYMS 1. apathy; contempt.1.
an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which
is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like
in awe of God
in awe of great political figures
2. archaic
power to inspire fear or reverence
3. obsolete
fear or dread
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1250–1300; ME aghe, awe ‹ Scand; cf. ON agi fear, c. Goth agis, OE ege, Gk áchos pain]Examples of 'awe' in a sentence
awe
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awe
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Which lakes, lochs, and lough am I?
a lake in central Africa, on the border between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Area: 4196 sq km (1620 sq miles)
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a group of five lakes in central North America with connecting waterways: the largest group of lakes in the world: consists of Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, which are divided by the border between the US and Canada and Lake Michigan, which is wholly in the US; constitutes the most important system of inland waterways in the world, discharging through the St Lawrence into the Atlantic. Total length: 3767 km (2340 miles). Area: 246 490 sq km (95 170 sq miles)
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a lake in E Canada, in N Quebec: the largest lake in the province; drains through the Rupert River into James Bay. Area: 2175 sq km (840 sq miles). Length: about 160 km (100 miles)
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lake in N Jiangxi province, SE China: c. 1,000 sq mi (2,590 sq km)
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In other languages
awe
British English: awe
NOUN /ɔː/
Awe is the feeling of respect and amazement that you have when you are faced with something wonderful and often rather frightening.
She gazed in awe at the great stones.
- American English: awe /ˈɔ/
- Brazilian Portuguese: admiração
- Chinese: 敬畏
- European Spanish: respeto
- French: admiration muette
- German: Ehrfurcht
- Italian: soggezione
- Japanese: 畏れ
- Korean: 경외
- European Portuguese: admiração
- Latin American Spanish: fascinación
- Thai: ความเกรงขาม, ความตะลึง
British English: awe
VERB /ɔː/
If you are awed by someone or something, they make you feel respectful and amazed, though often rather frightened.
I am still awed by his courage.
- American English: awe /ˈɔ/
- Brazilian Portuguese: espantar-se
- Chinese: 敬畏
- European Spanish: sobrecogerse
- French: impressionner
- German: überwältigen
- Italian: incutere soggezione a
- Japanese: 畏敬の念を起こさせる
- Korean: 온통 경외심을 갖게 하다
- European Portuguese: espantar-se
- Latin American Spanish: sobrecogerse
- Thai: ทำให้กลัว, ทำให้เกรงขาม
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Definition of awe from the Collins English Dictionary
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