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de·con·se·crate | \ (ˌ)dē-ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt 
\
\deconsecrated; deconsecrating; deconsecrates
Definition of deconsecrate
: to remove the sacred character of
deconsecrate a church
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Other Words from deconsecrate
deconsecration \ (ˌ)dē-ˌkän(t)-sə-ˈkrā-shən \ noun
\ noun
Examples of deconsecrate in a Sentence
hoping to raise much-needed funds, the church elders deconsecrated the 18th-century silver chalice and consigned it to a high-end auction house
Recent Examples on the Web Perhaps the best thing would be to deconsecrate the site and create a museum that explains what happened at the Valley itself.
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The Economist, "Franco’s exhumation is both historical duty and electoral stunt," 24 Oct. 2019 The church was deconsecrated in 2010, and the charter school arrived in 2013.
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Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "Vandals spray-paint demolition equipment at St. Andrew’s," 13 Aug. 2019 In late July, about 70 former members were drawn back to the synagogue for a service to deconsecrate the synagogue.
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Karen Berkowitz, chicagotribune.com, "B’nai Torah congregants return to shuttered synagogue in Highland Park for a final goodbye," 1 Aug. 2019 Whether a gutted and deconsecrated former church building fits the definition remains to be seen.
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Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, "Neighbors ask court to stop charter school from demolishing former St. Andrew’s church building in St. Paul," 3 June 2019 There is no single answer, but protest, not piety, seems to be a recurring theme—whether or not the venue is deconsecrated.
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Vogue, "Take Me to Church: 21 Times Designers Put on Shows in Holy Places," 24 Apr. 2018 The archdiocese, which had been bent on leveling the deconsecrated building, then reversed course and found a developer willing to convert the 19th century Polish church into apartments.
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Inga Saffron, Philly.com, "The latest threat to Fishtown's historic St. Laurentius church? A nuisance lawsuit," 22 Mar. 2018 Under canon law, a church cannot serve secular purposes, like a restaurant, without first being relegated, or deconsecrated.
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Jordan Otero Sisson, Courant Community, "Parishes Challenging Archdiocesan Merger, Closure Plan," 25 Aug. 2017 In the decree, Blair cited diminishing membership and intolerable financial burdens among the reasons for deconsecrating St. Margaret, built in 1910.
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Jordan Otero Sisson, courant.com, "Waterbury Church To Be Deconsecrated Following Archdiocese Plan," 2 June 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deconsecrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for deconsecrate
The first known use of deconsecrate was in 1876
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