sermon

ser·mon | \ ˈsər-mən

How to pronounce sermon (audio)

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Definition of sermon

1 : a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a member of the clergy as a part of a worship service

2 : a speech on conduct or duty

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Examples of sermon in a Sentence

He preached a sermon on the importance of kindness. Dad gave me a sermon yesterday about doing my homework.

Recent Examples on the Web A month after Martins’s sermon at the True Grapevine, Antônio had yet to move into the rehab center. — Alex Cuadros, Harper's magazine, "“My Gang Is Jesus”," 20 Jan. 2020 Friday sermons at the mosque mainly revolve around the decades-old Kashmir conflict, in which rebels have demanded an independent Kashmir or a merger with Pakistan, which administers half of the territory. — Washington Post, "Prayer at Kashmir’s biggest mosque for 1st time in 4 months," 18 Dec. 2019 The opening, in which Eckhart delivers an epoch-defining sermon in 1318 at the cathedral of Our Lady in Strasbourg, is especially beautifully rendered. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "'Dangerous Mystic': A true, gripping tale of a man's perilous search for God," 6 Apr. 2018 The Cottage Grove campus is home to a small, tight-knit community, where members of the congregation lead their own sermons and sing traditional hymns. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN, "A church made headlines for allegedly asking older members to leave. But the reality is more complicated," 22 Jan. 2020 In his sermons, King urged everyone to speak out against injustice and inequality. — Kelly Dearmore, Dallas News, "The Black Academy of Arts and Letters concert to highlight music of Stevie Wonder," 17 Jan. 2020 The subtle messaging in his weekly sermons and commentary have steered politics during the difficult times. — Washington Post, "Iraq’s top cleric to have surgery after accident at home," 16 Jan. 2020 The congregation regularly posts videos of his sermons online. — oregonlive, "DNA links Georgia pastor to 3 sex assaults in Multnomah County, indictment says," 31 Dec. 2019 More than 50 years ago, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered what would be his final Christmas Eve sermon. — Jennifer Brett, ajc, "Listen to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final Christmas sermon," 25 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sermon.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near sermon

sermo cotidianus

sermo generalis

Statistics for sermon

Last Updated

11 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Sermon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sermon. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for sermon

sermon

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sermon

: a speech about a moral or religious subject that is usually given by a religious leader

informal + usually disapproving : a serious talk about how someone should behave

See the full definition for sermon in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sermon

ser·mon | \ ˈsər-mən

\

Kids Definition of sermon

1 : a speech usually by a priest, minister, or rabbi for the purpose of giving religious instruction

2 : a serious talk to a person about his or her conduct

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