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bestow

[bih-stoh] / bɪˈstoʊ /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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At the time, the Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt said: "This universally popular figure deserves the highest praise the nation can bestow, and a knighthood is just that."

From BBC Dec. 31, 2025

And because we can learn from it, the authority we bestow on the dictionary is gratifyingly reciprocal.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 19, 2025

In response to outcry over the plan to include Suharto, Prabowo's office had insisted he has the right to bestow the title upon whomever he chooses.

From Barron's Nov. 10, 2025

The president also told reporters that he’d always wanted to be honored by the Kennedy Center, joking that he muscled his way into the institution to bestow the award on himself.

From Salon Aug. 13, 2025

There’s no other word quite like hero, so let’s not bestow it too freely.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Supporters think the passage bestows citizenship on virtually any person born in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 1, 2026

In order to truly feel the benefit and gift that this money bestows, you clearly need to make sure it makes a difference elsewhere, too.

From MarketWatch Mar. 20, 2026

“No,” he added, “it is the office of the president that bestows those far-reaching protections to the office holder.”

From Slate Jan. 10, 2025

She bestows Truthsayers to select houses and denies others, including her own.

From Salon Nov. 17, 2024

In the meantime, Harry Potter’s well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Three senior Ukrainian officials have also said they are returning awards bestowed by Poland, to show solidarity with their president.

From BBC Jun. 20, 2026

The Polish Order of the White Eagle bestowed on Zelensky in 2023 by then President Andrzej Duda can be revoked if he is deemed to have "committed an act making them unworthy" of the honour.

From BBC Jun. 10, 2026

Similarly, the prize for actor was bestowed on both Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, co-stars of Lukas Dhont’s World War I romantic drama “Coward.”

From Los Angeles Times May 23, 2026

The name “Atatürk,” bestowed by Turkey’s Grand National Assembly in 1934, means “Father of the Turks,” and it is Ms. Hansen’s argument that Mr. Erdogan is committing ideological patricide.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 30, 2026

And when he’d skin a knee or bump his head, if I was around he would not stop crying until I bestowed a magic kiss on the injury, after which he’d miraculously recover.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

He would begin a performance with Glass at the piano, bestowing an ingratiating quality of quiet pleasure on Ginsberg’s flowery imagery.

From Los Angeles Times May 21, 2026

It's as if he's bestowing on the people a special gift from the king and they should be grateful to him personally.

From Salon Sep. 25, 2024

More recently, he could be heard growling "This is CNN", conveying urgency and bestowing gravitas on the US news channel's tagline.

From BBC Sep. 9, 2024

Oscar voters lined up behind a classic studio blockbuster on Tuesday, bestowing 13 nominations on Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” the most for any movie, and setting up the long-awaited coronation of Nolan as Hollywood’s leading filmmaker.

From New York Times Jan. 23, 2024

“Thanks, Dedalus,” said Harry, bestowing a small and embarrassed smile upon the dark-haired Hestia.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling




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