From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgodgod /ɡɒd $ ɡɑːd/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 → God2 [countable]RMRR a male spirit or being who is believed by some religions to control the world or part of it, or who represents a particular quality → goddessgod of Mars, the god of warRoman/Greek etc god Zeus was one of the most well-known Greek gods.3 → God’s gift to somebody/something4 [countable] someone who is admired very much To his fans he is a god.5 [countable]IMPORTANT something which you give too much importance or respect to Money became his god.6 → the gods7 → God/oh (my) God/good God/God almighty8 → for God’s sake9 → I swear/hope/wish/pray to God10 → God forbid (that)11 → God (only) knows12 → what/how/where/who in God’s name13 → God help you/him etc14 → God help us15 → honest to God16 → God willing17 → God bless18 → God give me strength!19 → there is a God!20 → God rest his/her soul21 → by God → there but for the grace of God at grace1(6), → in the lap of the gods at lap1(6), → play God at play1(8), → thank God/goodness/heavens at thank(2)COLLOCATIONSverbsbelieve in GodDo you believe in God?pray to GodThey prayed to God for forgiveness.worship God (=show love and respect for God)Hinduism tells everyone to worship God in his own faith.praise GodThey came to the church to praise God.God existsI believe that God exists.phrasesbelief/faith in GodAbout one-third of the population has no belief in God.Her faith in God helped her deal with her illness.God’s will/the will of God (=what God wants to happen)He believed it was God’s will that they should suffer.Almighty God/God Almighty (=used to emphasize God's power)He swore by Almighty God to tell the truth.the word of God (=what God says)Missionaries traveled the world to tell people the word of God.a gift from GodLife is a gift from God.God’s existence/the existence of GodPhilosophers argued about the existence of God. THESAURUSgod a male spirit or being who is believed by some religions to control the world or part of it, or who represents a particular qualityOdin was the Viking god of war.goddess a female godArtemis, the Greek goddess of the moondeity a god. Deity is more formal than goda Hindu deityRoman deitiesthe Supreme Deityidol a picture or statue that people pray to as a goda bronze idolsomeone who does not believe in Godatheist noun, adjective someone who believes that God does not existI’m a confirmed atheist.agnostic noun, adjective someone who believes that people cannot know whether God exists or notHe was an agnostic rather than an atheist.
Examples from the Corpus
god• God knows she's had a hard life.• It seems that they are not gods exactly, but made of the same stuff as gods.• We are men, not gods!• He knew that men struggle and that gods rule.• Mars, the god of war• His fatherly affection was not strong, as events proved, but his fear of the gods was.• Arachne's contribution was a woven hanging on which she had depicted the lives and loves of the gods.• The gods would not consent to his entering the world of the dead a second time, while he was still alive.• Roman hair had been plaited to make hair for these gods.• The Witch King and his fellows would draw on the power of Chaos and become like unto gods.Roman/Greek etc god• Janus Janus is one of the most important Roman gods.• At the top is a fine row of sculpted Roman gods.GodGodthe spirit or being who Christians, Jews, Muslims etc pray to, and who they believe created the universe Prayer is a way of talking to God. ► In this sense, God is written with a capital letter and without ‘the’: We asked God (NOT the God) to help us. Expressions containing the word God such as oh my God are common in spoken English but can offend religious people. → godGodGod 1 the spirit or power who Christians, Jews, and Muslims pray to and regard as the maker and ruler of the universe Most Americans believe in God. We put our faith in God. to pray to God2 → God/oh (my) God/good God (almighty)3 → God (only) knows4 → for God’s sake5 → God forbid (that)6 → honest to God7 → God help you/him etc8 → God help us9 → God bless10 → God willing11 → God-given12 → God rest his/her soul13 → God moves in a mysterious way/mysterious ways14 → God is in his heaven, all’s right with the world15 → Man proposes, God disposes16 → My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?17 → Ye cannot serve God and Mammon18 → Nearer my God to TheeOrigin god Old English 