denomination

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

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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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 on the Web Soaring prices quickly devoured the new denominations. — Washington Post, "Venezuelans buy gas with cigarettes to battle inflation," 22 Oct. 2019 But many disagree, and not merely among the more liberal denominations. — Los Angeles Times, "‘None of us are prophets’: After a turbulent year, L.A. rabbis wrestle with the politics of faith," 28 Sep. 2019 Various denominations have a lengthy history of offering sanctuary to refugees and asylum seekers in places of worship. — Lisa Maria Garza, orlandosentinel.com, "Florida congregations of Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to determine what ‘sanctuary’ means," 13 Sep. 2019 Mainline Protestant denominations like Presbyterianism have seen their followings diminish in recent years. — New York Times, "The Church Where Believing in God Isn’t Strictly Necessary," 6 Sep. 2019 Mainstream denominations tend to take nuanced stances on weed. — Kristin E. Holmes, chicagotribune.com, "Religious communities consider how much faith to put in marijuana," 26 Aug. 2019 During the Reformation, though, several Protestant denominations jettisoned this practice. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘I confess': should the ‘seal of the confessional’ protect pedophiles?," 4 Aug. 2019 Among those organizations are civil rights groups the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) and various minority religious denominations and professional groups. 10. — Mark Curnutte, Cincinnati.com, "For 15th anniversary, 15 facts about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center," 2 Aug. 2019 The spokesperson said the precaution is aimed at depriving hackers and other counterfeiters from having additional time to prepare for new denominations. — al.com, "Trump didn’t delay release of Harriet Tubman $20, Obama-era officials say," 16 July 2019

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.

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Statistics for denomination

Last Updated

13 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for denomination

The first known use of denomination was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for denomination

denomination

noun

Financial Definition of denomination

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

denomination

noun