congregation

noun con·gre·ga·tion \ ˌkäŋ-gri-ˈgā-shən \

Updated on: 22 May 2018

Definition of congregation

1 a : an assembly of persons : gathering; especially : an assembly of persons met for worship and religious instruction

b : a religious community: such as

(1) : an organized body of believers in a particular locality

The pastor delivered a lengthy sermon to the congregation.

(2) : a Roman Catholic religious institute with only simple vows

a congregation of nuns

(3) : a group of monasteries forming an independent subdivision of an order

2 : the act or an instance of congregating or bringing together : the state of being congregated

3 : a body of cardinals and officials forming an administrative division of the papal curia

See congregation defined for English-language learners

See congregation defined for kids

Examples of congregation in a Sentence

The priest addressed the congregation.
She is a member of a small congregation.

Recent Examples of congregation from the Web

Conyers said his congregation includes about 100 people, which is mostly comprised of children, Channel 2 reported.

— zachary hansen, ajc, "DeKalb church must vacate building so movie studio can move in, pastor says," 17 May 2018
That’s who offered help at Bundy Ranch — his loyal congregation and doting army.

— leah sottile, Longreads, "Bundyville Chapter Three: A Clan Not to Cross," 17 May 2018
Well, according to Kensington Palace, there will be a formal reception at St. George’s Hall after the service for the couple and the guests from their congregation.

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "Everything You Need to Know About Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Wedding," 16 May 2018
Rabbi Jeffrey Falick of the Birmingham Temple Congregation for Humanistic Judaism in Farmington Hills said his congregation has been helping a Syrian family whose father was deported.

— niraj warikoo, Detroit Free Press, "Immigrant advocates walk from Detroit to Lansing to raise awareness of deportations," 16 May 2018
In this drama from Paul Schrader (best known for writing Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), Ethan Hawke is quietly moving as a pastor whose life becomes enmeshed with the lives of a young couple (Amanda Seyfried and Philip Ettinger) in his congregation.

— eliza berman, Time, "50 New Summer Movies to See in 2018," 11 May 2018
But asking their congregation for $850,000 would already be a stretch; asking for $1.7 million would be unimaginable.

— eric boodman, STAT, "Sign up for our biotech newsletter, The Readout," 8 May 2018
There are other times when even the best pastors can hardly speak before their own congregations.

— john blake, CNN, "These are the 12 most 'effective' preachers in the English language," 1 May 2018
Last year, the pope ordered Müller, an ideological conservative who is often at odds with Francis, to fire three priests in his congregation.

— jason horowitz, BostonGlobe.com, "Amid global populist tide, pope increasingly embattled," 28 Apr. 2018

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

Did You Know?

The verb congregate may be used for spontaneous gatherings. A crowd quickly congregates at the scene of an accident, for example, just as cows, sheep, or horses tend to congregate during a storm. And under military rule, citizens are often forbidden to congregate on street corners or anywhere else. But a congregation is generally a group that has gathered for a formal purpose, usually in church. The Congregational Church was originally the church of the Puritan settlers, in which each congregation governed its own church independent of any higher authority.