What's the difference between bestow and bless?

Bestow


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place; to put.
  • (v. t.) To use; to apply; to devote, as time or strength in some occupation.
  • (v. t.) To expend, as money.
  • (v. t.) To give or confer; to impart; -- with on or upon.
  • (v. t.) To give in marriage.
  • (v. t.) To demean; to conduct; to behave; -- followed by a reflexive pronoun.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) On the other hand, the expectation that authority will be bestowed by market forces following a miraculous ‘‘transfer of wealth’’ does suggest an alternative route to normal democratic processes: theocracy via plutocracy.
  • (2) It’s one of the social benefits government bestows on the old, like free bus passes and the winter fuel allowance,” she added.
  • (3) The favours Icac found that Macdonald bestowed on his friend included inside knowledge of the granting of the mining tenement of Mount Penny and the expression-of-interest process for mining exploration licences in the area.
  • (4) Obama and Cameron's display of unity on Afghanistan came during a visit in which the US president pushed the boundaries of protocol, bestowing on Cameron a lavish state dinner at the White House and issuing his most enthusiastic endorsement yet of the "rock solid" Anglo-American special relationship.
  • (5) Recipes for " tomato burgers " (bestowing this fruit sandwich with the holy title of "burger" is an affront to cows everywhere), help on undergoing a " friendship divorce ", extortionate travel guides … Goop covers a lot of ground.
  • (6) That theory, however, is not supported by the evidence that is available to me.” Putin's disturbing message for the west: your rules don't apply Read more Though he concedes it is not in itself proof of agency, Owen notes that in the years since 2006, “the Russian state in general, and President Putin in particular”, have bestowed particular favour on Lugovoi, including giving him a medal for “services to the fatherland” while the inquiry was happening last year.
  • (7) West Ham United Accounts of WH Holding Ltd for the year to 31 May 2015 • Ownership David Sullivan 51.1%; David Gold 35.1%; CB Holding ehf 10% • Turnover 9th highest in League £121m , up from £115m in 2014 • Income Match income and football related £20m; Commercial £15m; Premier League & broadcasting £79m; Retail & merchandising £7m • Wage bill Joint 12th highest in League £73m , up from £64m in 2014 • Wages as proportion of turnover 60% • Profit before tax £3m , following £10m profit in 2014 • Net debt £67m • Interest payable £6m • Highest-paid director Unnamed, £646,000 (Karren Brady is the executive vice-chairman) State they are in: The figures for West Ham’s occupation of the £701m, 60,000-seat Olympic stadium , disclosed after dogged persistence by Freedom of Information campaigners supporting other clubs, have confirmed it as the greatest public money bonanza ever bestowed on a football club.
  • (8) While Andrew benefited from the privilege bestowed by a British royal title, Epstein’s ascent is a classic American success story.
  • (9) It's probably just a fire in one of the townships.” Following Torino, Seoul and Helsinki, Cape Town is the fourth city to be awarded the title of World Design Capital, an accolade bestowed by the Montreal-based International Council for Societies of Industrial Design , which charges a hefty fee to honour a different city with its logo each year.
  • (10) Donald Trump abandons press pool again as he plays golf at Florida club Read more Cinque runs the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences, a company whose primary action is to bestow Star Diamond awards, “the most prestigious award of true excellence in hospitality”, according to its website .
  • (11) The swanky Royal Harbour (a title bestowed on it by George IV in 1821) and marina (where you can get your fish and chips and ice-creams) is right next door and there are children's rides on the beach itself.
  • (12) On August 15, 1991, the Association of Medical Illustrators bestowed its highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, on Ernest W. Beck.
  • (13) Astrologers posit that babies born under each sign are bestowed with unique personality traits – rat-year babies are cautious, dragon babies resilient, dog babies intelligent, and sheep babies are considered meek.
  • (14) After all, if you’re going to claim to be the best hockey country on Earth, shouldn’t that title be bestowed at Earth’s biggest sporting event?
  • (15) But let’s not convince ourselves the rest are credible – punishment sensibly bestowed on the scrounging unemployed.
  • (16) Malcolm Turnbull asks for investigation into minister Stuart Robert's China trip Read more A media release issued by China MinMetals Corporation said Robert had extended his congratulations “on behalf of the Australian Department of Defence” and had presented “a medal bestowed to him by Australian prime minister in honour of remembrance and blessing”.
  • (17) The first woman to be awarded the prestigious gong in her own right, the 64-year-old earned a place as one of the most sought-after architects in the world, having bestowed her trademark blobs on cityscapes from Baku to Guangzhou This article was amended on 25 September 2015.
  • (18) The company said the minister had presented Minmetals chairman Zhou Zhongshu “a medal bestowed to him by Australian prime minister in honor of remembrance and blessing” and also “awarded the letter of appointment” of an exploration technical committee.
  • (19) More than mere appreciation of corporeal attributes, ours is a reverence which perceptually bestows a halo effect of associated virtues.
  • (20) The scene is based on the account of Jesus' birth in the gospel of Matthew, though Matthew does not record a mishap whereby the magi accidentally bestow their gifts on Terry Jones in a dress.

Bless


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate
  • (v. t.) To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.
  • (v. t.) To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a blessing upon; -- applied to persons.
  • (v. t.) To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to invoke or confer a blessing on, -- as on food.
  • (v. t.) To make the sign of the cross upon; to cross (one's self).
  • (v. t.) To guard; to keep; to protect.
  • (v. t.) To praise, or glorify; to extol for excellences.
  • (v. t.) To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
  • (v. t.) To wave; to brandish.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Some parents are blessed with a soul that lights up every time their little precious brings them a carefully crafted portrait or home-made greetings card.
  • (2) Attorneys for people caught on the US’s sprawling terrorism watchlists are expressing concern that the latest tactic by gun control advocates is blessing the legitimacy of a process they say threatens civil rights.
  • (3) I often remind him that after a test or a difficulty, blessings arrive.
  • (4) The move, first mooted two months ago, has been instigated with Jol's blessing and the new man was quick to insist he had spent "many hours" talking with his compatriot prior to accepting the position, even if his arrival effectively dilutes the manager's powerbase at the club.
  • (5) Unable to tap international markets, with its banks forced to rely on limited emergency funding provided on a week-by-week basis with the blessing of the ECB, it is fast running out of cash.
  • (6) The fact that property is unequally distributed so many people don't have blessed "property rights" gets airbrushed from the theory.
  • (7) Waitrose evokes strong opinions: from sniffy derision about the supermarket's perceived airs and graces to expressions of joy from middle-class incomers when their gentrified area is blessed with a branch.
  • (8) Photograph: Alex Lake for Observer Food Monthly Sky Sports’ managing director, Barney Francis, added: “We wish Gary all the very best as he returns to football with our blessing and begins his managerial career with Valencia.
  • (9) May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless America.
  • (10) It is a sacred moment, and you feel blessed merely to have witnessed it.
  • (11) He’s gifted, a blessed young man with incredible hand speed and power.
  • (12) We felt blessed,” said Rebecca, pulling out another family picture in which a smiling Sarah leans her head against her mother’s shoulder, her younger siblings crowing around them.
  • (13) He often claimed that God had blessed him with the gift of the delayed hangover, one that kicked in only when he had done his day's work.
  • (14) While big businesses have enjoyed access to new couriers, Royal Mail itself eventually reached such a dire state that the Hooper report urged the government to rewrite the law to clarify that competition was a mixed blessing.
  • (15) Rate of progression of dementia was determined in 77 patients by repeated administration of the Blessed Dementia Scale (BDS).
  • (16) For whatever reason, the team is not gelling, despite substantial financial backing in the summer and the dressing room being blessed with a huge amount of quality.
  • (17) I wish him - with Caroline and the family - every blessing, and hope that the church of England and the Anglican communion will share my pleasure at this appointment and support him with prayer and love."
  • (18) Meena Raman of the Malaysia-based Third World Network told IPS: "Given the stance of the United States thus far in the Rio+20 negotiations, and the position they have taken in the climate change negotiations in Durban, it may perhaps be a blessing that President Obama is not coming to Rio."
  • (19) It was an unbelievable feeling,” Keating told Associated Press, adding she felt “totally blessed and loved” by the pope.
  • (20) Quite a number of people brought up in the emotional straitjackets of the English upper classes found blessed relief in the permission the Holy Spirit gave them to weep or laugh and gibber and faint in public.