Did you know?
In ancient Greek, pentekoste meant "fiftieth day"—that is, the fiftieth day after Easter (counting Easter itself). On that day, Christians celebrate an event described in the Bible that took place fifty days after Christ's resurrection, when the apostles heard the rush of a mighty wind, saw tongues of fire descending on them, and heard the Holy Spirit speaking from their own mouths but in other tongues (languages). "Speaking in tongues", when everyone in a congregation may begin talking in languages that no one can understand, is the best-known practice of Pentecostals. Pentecostals belong to many different denominations; with growing numbers especially in Latin America and Africa, there may be over 500 million Pentecostals worldwide.
Examples of Pentecostal in a Sentence
Sid Evans, Southern Living, 1 Apr. 2024
Eighteen months later, Pettitt was baptized in a modern Pentecostal outfit, where the services were relaxed and progressive, led by song.
—Sophie Elmhirst, The New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2024
Gone are the days when the Catholic Church held a monopoly over Latin American and Latino souls: for decades now, the region has been shifting toward other Christian denominations, particularly Pentecostal, evangelical, and Protestant.
—Graciela Mochkofsky, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
Growing up, the singer — who was raised by strict Pentecostal parents — struggled financially, and her family often relied on food stamps and food banks for their next meal.
—Melody Chiu, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024
Growing up in Greensboro, Alabama, where her father was the deacon and Sunday school teacher of her Pentecostal church, Long — who was assigned male at birth but now often uses she/her pronouns — remembers feeling different about her gender and sexuality as early as kindergarten.
—Spencer MacNaughton, NBC News, 28 Jan. 2024
At a Pentecostal church in Nashua, N.H., a handful of students braved the snow Wednesday for an English class offered through a local Latino community center.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024
Many people have instead turned to evangelical, particularly Pentecostal, churches.
—Samantha Schmidt, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
The Pentecostal pastor was joined by Adam McKaig, founder of the nonprofit organization Adam's Angels.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 12 Dec. 2023
Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2024
Hamilton: Victory Pentecostal Tabernacle, 7460 Morris Road.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 22 Mar. 2024
Growing up Pentecostal, where extreme modesty (no jewelry, limited skin showing, nothing tight) is de rigueur, provided some limitations.
—Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2024
Bishop Tomlinson claimed millions of congregants — including all Pentecostals.
—Sam Roberts, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2024
People were converting to more expressive forms of evangelical Christianity — sometimes called charismatic or Pentecostal — which often entailed speaking in tongues and faith healing and emphasized a daily struggle between good and evil.
—Bishop Sand, Washington Post, 17 Feb. 2024
Jack Hayford — Pentecostal Pastor Jack Hayford, 88, died Jan. 8.
—Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2023
In Maryland: Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring, Manantial de Vida Apostolic Church in Silver Spring, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Hyattsville, Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Mateo in Bowie, and the Amoco on New Hampshire Avenue in Takoma Park.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Dec. 2023
First Pentecostal Church has mailed out thousands of invitations to friends and neighbors.
—Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Pentecostal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Pentecostal
Cite this Entry
“Pentecostal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pentecostal. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Share