sect

1 of 2

noun

ˈsekt 

1

a

: a dissenting or schismatic religious body

especially : one regarded as extreme or heretical

b

: a religious denomination

2

archaic : sex sense 1

so is all her sect

—William Shakespeare

3

a

: a group adhering to a distinctive doctrine or to a leader

b

: party

c

: faction

sect

2 of 2

abbreviation

section; sectional

Synonyms

Noun

• faction
• party
• wing
• side

Examples of sect in a Sentence

Noun

one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Companies, colleges and churches with alleged links to David Jang's Olivet Christian sect are being sued by a creditor who is claiming at least $8.6 million in damages over allegations of racketeering and wire fraud. —Alex J. Rouhandeh naveed Jamali, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Aug. 2025

Rembrandt’s The Woman Taken in Adultery (1644) tells the story of how Jesus’s compliance with Jewish law was put to the test by a council of Pharisees (members of a biblical Jewish sect that was fanatical about obeying religious laws), who bring an adulteress before him. —Smithsonian Magazine, 29 July 2025

The Druze, an Arab sect of roughly one million people, practice an offshoot of Islam which permits no converts – either to or from the religion – and no intermarriage. —Eyad Kourdi, CNN Money, 17 July 2025

Maybe a different sect says that AI is to be obeyed only if the human heading the sect has first substantiated the AI’s pronouncements. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English secte, from Anglo-French & Late Latin & Latin; Anglo-French, group, faction, from Late Latin secta organized ecclesiastical body, from Latin, course of action, way of life, probably from sectari to pursue, frequentative of sequi to follow — more at sue

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for sect

• checked
• decked
• flecked
• hecht
• necked
• pecked
• trekked
• wrecked
• affect
• aspect
• bedecked
• bisect

Kids Definition

sect

noun

ˈsekt

1

a

: a religious group having beliefs that differ greatly from those of the main body

b

: a religious body consisting of members having similar beliefs

2

a

: a group of people having the same beliefs or following the same leader

b

: party sense 1

c

: faction