commandment

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noun com·mand·ment \ kə-ˈman(d)-mənt \

Definition of commandment

1 :the act or power of commanding

2 :something that is commanded; especially :one of the biblical Ten Commandments

See commandment defined for English-language learners

See commandment defined for kids

Examples of commandment in a Sentence

the Ten Commandments in the Bible
the boss left behind a list of commandments for running the office while he was away

Recent Examples of commandment from the Web

Some believe that pomegranates have exactly 613 seeds, the number of commandments in the Torah.

— todd a. price, NOLA.com, "Three Muses chef goes back to school with Rimon: opening alert," 16 Aug. 2017
Moore said at his victory party in downtown Montgomery, with a copy of the Ten Commandments among the decorations.

— kim chandler, The Seattle Times, "Firebrand judge Moore forces runoff in Alabama Senate race," 16 Aug. 2017
Previously, Moore had attained national fame as a circuit court judge by refusing to obey a federal court order to have a massive stone sculpture of the Ten Commandments removed from the state supreme court.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Imagine the Alabama Senate Race. Nope, Crazier.," 15 Aug. 2017
Moore is a colorful and well-known figure in Alabama, the former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who was removed for refusing to get rid of a Ten Commandments display.

— lisa mascaro, latimes.com, "Trump's choice in Alabama Senate race is struggling ahead of Tuesday's primary as Republican loyalties split," 14 Aug. 2017
As more and more Americans convert to Islam, Rawlins hopes, the U.S. Constitution will be amended to reflect the commandments of Allah.

— matt wolfe, New Republic, "Why did Yousef Muslet face life in prison for an everyday gesture?," 2 Aug. 2017
In my opinion, Donald Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught in the great commandment.

— robert p. jones, The Atlantic, "Trump Can't Reverse the Decline of White Christian America," 4 July 2017
Religious displays on government property have been debated over the past several decades, including the display of the Ten Commandments and Christmas nativity exhibits on government grounds.

— sarah pulliam bailey, Washington Post, "A university in Oklahoma considers removing its Bibles and crosses from its chapel," 30 June 2017
He was also arrested in 2014 for destroying Oklahoma’s Ten Commandments statue, but was never charged in that incident.

— sean murphy, The Seattle Times, "Monument smashing suspect has history of mental illness," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commandment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of commandment

13th century

commandment Synonyms

COMMANDMENT Defined for English Language Learners

commandment

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noun

Definition of commandment for English Language Learners

: an important rule given by God that tells people how to behave

COMMANDMENT Defined for Kids

commandment

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noun com·mand·ment \ kə-ˈmand-mənt \

Definition of commandment for Students

1 :something given as a command

2 :one of ten rules given by God that are mentioned in the Bible

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for commandment Spanish Central: Translation of commandment Nglish: Translation of commandment for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of commandment for Arabic speakers

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commandment

Definition of commandment

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Examples of commandment in a Sentence

Recent Examples of commandment from the Web

First Known Use of commandment

commandment Synonyms

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COMMANDMENT Defined for English Language Learners

commandment

Definition of commandment for English Language Learners

COMMANDMENT Defined for Kids

commandment

Definition of commandment for Students

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