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\ ˈsānt 
, before a name (ˌ)sānt or sənt \
, before a name (ˌ)sānt or sənt \Definition of saint
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : one officially recognized especially through canonization as preeminent for holiness
—abbreviation St.
2a : one of the spirits of the departed in heaven
b : angel sense 1a
3a : one of God's chosen and usually Christian people
4 : one eminent for piety or virtue
5 : an illustrious predecessor
saint
verb\ ˈsānt \
\sainted; sainting; saints
Definition of saint (Entry 2 of 2)
: to recognize or designate as a saint specifically : canonize
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Other Words from saint
Noun
saintdom \ ˈsānt-dəm \ noun
\ nounsaintlike \ ˈsānt-ˌlīk \ adjective
\ adjectiveExamples of saint in a Sentence
Noun
He was declared a saint in the fifth century.
The salesperson was a saint for putting up with them.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun In classic Catholic tradition, the church has been gifted 15 saint relics that will be housed in the new chapel.
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Jamie Swinnerton, Houston Chronicle, "St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in The Woodlands set for next phase of $16.1M expansion plan," 3 Aug. 2020 There’s Todd Chavez, his random twenty-something housemate, who crashed on his sofa one night after a party and never left, and whose character—a gentle stoner saint—is one of the lovely inventions of the show.
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Adam Thirlwell, The New York Review of Books, "A Horse’s Remorse," 3 Aug. 2020 Serra was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2015, fueling outrage from many Native American activists and others.
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Andrew J. Campa Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "‘My heart is full of sadness’: Faithful stunned by destruction of San Gabriel Mission fire," 11 July 2020 In California, protesters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento have torn down statues of the Catholic saint Junipero Serra, whom many have alleged is representative of the violent colonialism perpetrated by Spanish conquistadors.
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Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "Religious leaders face political powder keg in addressing race," 8 July 2020 Archaeologists in Trondheim, Norway, unearthed the church where Viking King Olaf Haraldsson was first enshrined as a saint in 2016.
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Fox News, "Viking ship discovery: Historic dig to uncover longship starts in Norway," 30 June 2020 Since then, further controversy has erupted in local meetings as well as on social media between those who see Serra as a saint and the toppling as disrespectful, and those who see him as part of genocide and the statues' removal as overdue.
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Wyatte Grantham-philips, USA TODAY, "Not just Confederate statues: Indigenous activists want conquistadors, missionaries removed," 29 June 2020 And the community caught on, today often referring to her as a saint-like figure.
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Christina Maxouris, CNN, "A petition wants to replace a New Jersey city's Christopher Columbus statue with Black trans activist Marsha P. Johnson," 27 June 2020 Over the weekend, protesters in California tore down a statue of Junipero Serra, a Spanish priest whom Pope Francis recognized as a saint in 2015.
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Fox News, "Christian figures, symbols targeted amid ongoing protests," 25 June 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Charismatic in life, she was sainted in death,’’ Goodyear wrote.
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Steven Litt, cleveland, "MOCA Cleveland celebrates folksy, outsider viewpoint of painter Margaret Kilgallen," 22 Feb. 2020 There are so many people to saint but first and foremost are the volunteer fire departments who responded to the fire.
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Sainted & Tainted Writers, Twin Cities, "Tainted: You changed lanes to hit the geese and then blew through a stop sign," 13 July 2019 In 2000, Nicholas, his wife, and children were sainted by the Russian Orthodox church.
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Nancy Bilyeau, Town & Country, "Will the Real Anastasia Romanov Please Stand Up?," 25 Apr. 2017 Feed My Starving Children is to be sainted for its work — people working to feed people.
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Sainted & Tainted Writers, Twin Cities, "Sainted: Christian, Muslim, Jewish … people working to feed people," 17 June 2017 MOUNT SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY, Los Angeles Jocelin Mata, Santa Ana High School
Major: nursing, $
Why this school?
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Heide Janssen, Orange County Register, "Where are 2017 Orange County dance students going to college?," 15 June 2017 The average number of carries in a season for a lead Saints back is roughly half (175) the total Peterson was used to getting in Minnesota.
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Jeff Duncan, NOLA.com, "1,500 yards? 10 TDs? Adrian Peterson's 'incentives' are a joke," 19 May 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'saint.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for saint
saint
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of saint
: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy because of the way he or she lived
: a person who is very good, kind, or patient
See the full definition for saint in the English Language Learners Dictionary
saint
noun\ ˈsānt \
\Kids Definition of saint
1 : a good and holy person and especially one who in the Christian church is declared to be worthy of special honor
2 : a person who is very good, helpful, or patient
You were a saint for helping me all day.
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Time Traveler for saint
The first known use of saint was in the 13th century
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