church

1 of 3

noun

1
: a building for public and especially Christian worship
2
: the clergy or officialdom of a religious body
the word church … is put for the persons that are ordained for the ministry of the Gospel, that is to say, the clergyJ. Ayliffe
3
often capitalized : a body or organization of religious believers: such as
a
: the whole body of Christians
the one church is the whole body gathered together from all agesJ. H. Newman
b
: denomination
the Presbyterian church
c
: congregation
they had appointed elders for them in every churchActs 14:23 (Revised Standard Version)
4
: a public divine worship
goes to church every Sunday
5
: the clerical profession
considered the church as a possible career

church

2 of 3

adjective

1
: of or relating to a church
church government
2
chiefly British : of or relating to the established church

church

3 of 3

verb

churched; churching; churches

transitive verb

: to bring to church to receive one of its rites

Examples of church in a Sentence

Noun This is the oldest church in town. They would like to be married in a church. I didn't see you at church last Sunday. He is a member of the Catholic Church. What church do you belong to? the church's attitude toward divorce the separation of church and state
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
There’s a church that evokes the tower of Babel, and a watering hole called The Range that sports a stage for open mic nights. Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024 Today, the remains of the town—which include homes, antique cars, a church, and a cemetery—are part of what draws people to visit. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2024 Proceeds from the thrift shop will support the church and its schools, and the donation of goods to local homeless and animal ministries. Andrea Manes, Orange County Register, 14 Mar. 2024 Many are wondering if Princess Kate will make her first post-procedure outing by joining the royal family for their traditional church outing on Easter, which falls on March 31 this year. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 And he is known as a straightforward communicator who reinforces church teachings and has good relationships with priests and parishioners. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024 So, over the course of two years, the church was given a second life. Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Her last public appearance was on Christmas Day, when she was photographed attending a church service in Sandringham. Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 The Bieber's were last seen leaving church together on February 28 in Los Angeles. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 2 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Jenny journeyed to a questionable mega-church compound that seemed extremely cult-like, only to discover Cody never made it there. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Dec. 2020 Bateman lived in Colorado City among a patchwork of devout members of the polygamous FLDS, ex-church members and those who don't practice the beliefs. Felicia Fonseca, USA TODAY, 8 Dec. 2022 To be coarse about the main difference is that there are relatively few religious liberals within the working class, and proportionally fewer orthodox non-church-goers among the middle class. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2012
Verb
Without cars, poor people can’t take children to sports practice, to choir, or to church. Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 After a beautiful introduction from Regina King asking Bassett to run for President, Bassett took the audience to church with her remarks. EW.com, 11 Jan. 2024 On Monday, King Charles and Queen Camilla led the royal family in their annual tradition of going to church on Christmas Day. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 25 Dec. 2023 The motivational experience mirrors going to church—the catechistic phrases, the stand-and-testify choreography, the joy of gathering with fellow-believers. Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023 The dogs’ only time off was on Sundays when the owners would take them to church with the family. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2023 Hozier is going to continue taking fans to church into 2024. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 9 Nov. 2023 Three years apart in age, the brother and sister grew up in a tiny village in eastern Poland, helping out on the family farm and going to church each Sunday under pressure from their parents. Andrew Higgins, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023 Martinez, a 30-year-old lifelong Phoenix Catholic, had not been to church in a couple of months. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 2 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'church.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun, Adjective, and Verb

Middle English chirche, from Old English cirice, ultimately from Late Greek kyriakon, from Greek, neuter of kyriakos of the lord, from kyrios lord, master; akin to Sanskrit śūra hero, warrior

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of church was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near church

Cite this Entry

“Church.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/church. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

church

noun
ˈchərch
1
: a building for public worship and especially Christian worship
2
often capitalized : an organized body of religious believers
3
: public worship
churchly
-lē
adjective

Biographical Definition

Church

biographical name

Frederic Edwin 1826–1900 American painter

More from Merriam-Webster on church

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!