denomination

play

noun de·nom·i·na·tion \ di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən \

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of denomination

1 :an act of denominating

the denomination of prices in U.S. dollars

2 :a value or size of a series of values or sizes

metric denominations

; especially :the value of a particular coin or bill

bills in $20 and $50 denominations

3 :name, designation; especially :a general name for a category

listed under the general denomination of gifts

4 :a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices

people from several different Christian denominations

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denominational

play \-shnəl, -shə-nᵊl\ adjective

—

denominationally

adverb

See denomination defined for English-language learners

See denomination defined for kids

Examples of denomination in a Sentence

People from several different religious denominations participated in the event.
Methodists, Baptists, and other Christian denominations.
It's one of the more conservative denominations.
The kidnappers asked for bills in small denominations.
The gift certificates are available in $5 and $10 denominations.
She spoke with people of many different political denominations.

Recent Examples of denomination from the Web

The Vineyard denomination started in 1974 as part of the charismatic movement, emphasizing gifts of the spirit such as healing and speaking in tongues.

— greg garrison, AL.com, "Bubba Justice takes national church job after 23 years as pastor," 17 Aug. 2017
His subdivision was plotted in 1873 and by the 1880s families were meeting in various homes as various protestant denominations.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: History of Church of the Resurrection in Fernbank," 2 Aug. 2017
The denominations varied, dependent on his employment status.

— sari botton, Longreads, "The Boy With the Coin-Filled Cellophane Cigarette Wrapper, and Me," 31 July 2017
A 1,000 kroner note is Sweden's largest denomination available, perfect for a man known to have compared himself to God.

— SI.com, "PHOTO: Zlatan Ibrahimovic Represented on 1,000 Kroner Note," 21 July 2017
But there was a problem: New York law bars religious denominations from running charters, even if, as Faulkner promised, the school would teach a secular curriculum.

— matt barnum, The Atlantic, "Will Churches Ever Be Allowed to Run Charter Schools?," 19 July 2017
There were not enough Protestants of any of the non-Catholic denominations to afford the building of a church.

— adele foster, NOLA.com, "Mandeville Bible Church, established in 1876, breathes history on Carroll Street," 16 July 2017
The religious landscape of early America encompassed more than competing Christian denominations, and these smaller communities are also represented.

— meilan solly, Smithsonian, "Why Religious Freedom and Diversity Flourished in Early America," 15 July 2017
Current practices also vary across the denomination.

— emma green, The Atlantic, "A Conservative Christian Battle Over Gender," 5 July 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of denomination

see denominate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

denomination Synonyms

Synonyms

appellation, appellative, cognomen, compellation, name, denotation, designation, handle, moniker (also monicker), nomenclature, title

Financial Definition of DENOMINATION

denomination

noun

What It Is

Usually associated with currency, a denomination is the value specified on a monetary instrument.

How It Works

Denomination values are graduated and usually divisible by some common denominator (hence, 'denomination'). For example, in addition to the $1 bill, denominations of U.S. paper money include $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100 notes, all divisible by 5.

Though denominations are generally discussed with regard to currency, financial instruments such as bonds are also generally issued in different denominations.

Why It Matters

Where currency is concerned, denominations provide the bearer with a range of values depending on how much money he or she will need to spend. In the case of financial instruments such as bonds, denominations provide investors with a range of values based on what they are able to afford.

Source: Investing Answers