denomination

noun

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

The United Methodist Church isn’t the first mainline Protestant denomination to reach a breaking point over LGBT rights. — Ian Lovett, WSJ, "Methodist Church Faces Possible Schism Over Gay Rights," 21 Feb. 2019 A dozen interfaith leaders spanning Islam, Judaism and leaders of multiple Christian denominations signed a petition on June 7 denouncing the separation of families at the border. — Sarah Smith, star-telegram, "Christians condemn Jeff Sessions' Scriptural justification for border policy," 15 June 2018 The minimum denomination for a bond generally is $1,000. — Dan Weil, WSJ, "The Pros and Cons of Bond Funds vs. Individual Bonds," 6 Jan. 2019 For predominantly black denominations, there are smaller gains. — Corey Williams, Fox News, "For black women at church, it's more than the Aretha eulogy," 9 Sep. 2018 The draft resolution comes after several months of turmoil for the denomination. — Elizabeth Chuck /, NBC News, "Southern Baptist Convention kicks off annual meeting as #MeToo cases, protests loom," 12 June 2018 White evangelical Christian denominations have ascended to political power, continuing a trajectory that’s been in place since Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority movement of the 1980s. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Why this shrinking religious group might be among America’s last “swing voters”," 5 Nov. 2018 The anti-religion campaign affected not only Christian denominations. — Lukas Mikelionis, Fox News, "Chinese officials burn bibles, close churches, force Christian to denounce faith amid 'escalating' crackdown," 10 Sep. 2018 Sessions also was criticized Wednesday at the annual meeting of the largest black denomination in the U.S., the National Baptist Convention USA. — CBS News, "Some pro-family groups silent, while others speak up on family separations," 22 June 2018

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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Last Updated

6 Mar 2019

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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