praise the Lord means: A phrase used to thank God by Christians.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
praise the Lord
A phrase used to thank God by Christians.
ˈpɹeɪz ðə ˈlɔɹdDocumented since 1700sSilenthistoricalCurrent59 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026＋ Add a definition
Seen in the wild
5 citations · last seen May 2026
Etymology timeline
Born ~1700 · 1 year of recorded use18th centurySee decade cohort →
Seen in the wild
BlueskyMay 2026
Praise the lord I was able to find a shirt to go with these shoes I already have for this wedding. I was close to buying a damn suit.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Praise the lord and pass the underage boys and girls.
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BlueskyMay 2026
Monkeys are one hell of a lot smarter than MAGATS! Praise the Lord!
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BlueskyMay 2026
we'll never know! THERE WAS A POWER OUTAGE FOR 6 HRS PRAISE THE LORD WATER EXISTS
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BlueskyMay 2026
praise the lord the pussy is going to be ON DISPLAY
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Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
A phrase used to thank God by Christians.
“There was a time when the homosexual demanded marriage,” he added with an exasperated chuckle. “Praise the Lord, that time is past. PRAISE THE LORD!” he commanded.
Origin: A present subjunctive clause inherited intact from a time when English was freely productive of them. It is semantically equivalent to praise be to God. The zero morph difference from the form allows parsing as a command. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents
praise the Lord means: A phrase used to thank God by Christians.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
praise the Lord means: A phrase used to thank God by Christians.. Register: neutral, standard English. Common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; always check the context before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
Expression of thankful happiness; not always literally religious when used by cultural Christians, but not explicitly differentiable, thus ambiguous.
“There was a time when the homosexual demanded marriage,” he added with an exasperated chuckle. “Praise the Lord, that time is past. PRAISE THE LORD!” he commanded.
Heard in the wild
“Praise the lord and pass the underage boys and girls.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Monkeys are one hell of a lot smarter than MAGATS! Praise the Lord!”
— Bluesky· May 2026“we'll never know! THERE WAS A POWER OUTAGE FOR 6 HRS PRAISE THE LORD WATER EXISTS”
— Bluesky· May 2026“praise the lord the pussy is going to be ON DISPLAY”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK, mildly, blasphemous) Stereotypical exclamation used in mockery of Christianity.
“There was a time when the homosexual demanded marriage,” he added with an exasperated chuckle. “Praise the Lord, that time is past. PRAISE THE LORD!” he commanded.
Cluster: exclamation
Heard in the wild
“Praise the lord I was able to find a shirt to go with these shoes I already have for this wedding. I was close to buying a damn suit.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "praise the Lord" (P)
practicumpradpradhamanpradhanpraepostorprairie bananapram faceprangedpranged outprang outprannyprasada
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