vigil
noun
vig·il
| \ ˈvi-jəl
\
\
Definition of vigil
1
: the act of keeping awake at times when sleep is customary
also
: a period of wakefulness
2
: an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc., especially at night
a candlelight vigil kept vigil at her bedside
3a
: a watch formerly kept on the night before a religious feast with prayer or other devotions
b
: the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation
c
: evening or nocturnal devotions or prayers
—usually used in plural
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Examples of vigil in a Sentence
kept vigil at their ailing son's bedside the entire time he was in the hospital
Recent Examples on the Web
Thirty minutes before the vigil began, Lenora Fisher already had tears in her eyes. — ExpressNews.com, "Booming West Texas oil patch shaken by shooting spree as death toll rises to 8," 1 Sep. 2019 And faith dominated the vigil for those killed and wounded by Saturday’s rampage. — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "Odessa and neighboring Midland vow to heal in face of a day filled with 'the best and worst of humanity'," 1 Sep. 2019 Similarly to Thursday's town hall, the vigil called on McConnell to take action on gun legislation. — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, "March For Our Lives holds town hall calling on McConnell to act on gun legislation," 22 Aug. 2019 The vigil was organized by a group of San Diegans who saw their reflections in the city of El Paso, a border town with a large Latino community. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Vigil for victims of El Paso shooting honors lives lost, denounces hate," 11 Aug. 2019 On Point Vigils to mark the Voting Rights Act of 1965 scheduled for across the country today Honestly, the vigils could be for a host of important reasons at this point. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "Missing Toni Morrison: raceAhead," 6 Aug. 2019 The vigil was one of several held throughout the state, including events in Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery. — Howard Koplowitz | [email protected], al, "Birmingham NAACP holds voting rights vigil on anniversary of landmark law," 6 Aug. 2019 The vigil was organized by the Northern Virginia chapters of March for Our Lives and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence to honor the victims and to demand action from national and state leaders. — Allen Kim, CNN, "Shooting victims remembered in a vigil outside NRA headquarters," 6 Aug. 2019 The vigil also included moments of silence after each speaker. — Rocky Baier, azcentral, "'We must demand change': Phoenix leaders call for action at vigil honoring shooting victims," 4 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vigil.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for vigil
vigil
noun
English Language Learners Definition of vigil
: an event or a period of time when a person or group stays in a place and quietly waits, prays, etc., especially at night
See the full definition for vigil in the English Language Learners Dictionary
vigil
noun
vig·il
| \ ˈvi-jəl
\
\
Kids Definition of vigil
: an act of keeping watch especially when sleep is usual
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