denomination

noun

de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce denomination (audio)
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
denominational adjective
denominationally adverb

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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web There was a business card for the local Quick Cuts and Turkish lira bills in preposterous denominations—ten million, twenty million—from the time before the government slashed six zeros from the currency. Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2023 Celebrated in most Christian denominations as period of waiting and preparation for Christmas, Advent was first observed in the fifth century. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2023 Her service defies long-standing rules in the denomination. Sarah Maddox, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2023 Pastor restoration at Church of the Highlands Pastoral restoration can look different from denomination to denomination, and even from church to church. Anna Claire Vollers | Avollers@reckonmedia.com, al, 10 July 2023 Southern Baptists lost one of their biggest congregations last week amid tensions in the largest U.S. Protestant denomination over women at the pulpit. Jon Brown, Fox News, 2 July 2023 So battered is the local currency that its largest denomination, the 100,000-lira bill, is equal to little more than a dollar in stores, gas stations and most offices. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2023 From Orthodox to ultra-Orthodox Of all the Jewish denominations, the Orthodox groups are perhaps most misunderstood. Joshua Shanes, Fortune, 19 June 2023 Conservative congregations have launched a new denomination called the Global Methodist Church. Peter Smith, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'denomination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see denominate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near denomination

Cite this Entry

“Denomination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denomination. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

denomination

noun
de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnäm-ə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce denomination (audio)
1
: an act of denominating
2
: one of a series of related values each having a special name
a $5 bill represents one denomination of U.S. money
3
: name entry 1 sense 1, designation
especially : a general name for a class of things
4
: a religious body made up of a number of congregations with similar beliefs
denominational
-shnəl How to pronounce denomination (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

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