sermon

noun

ser·​mon ˈsər-mən How to pronounce sermon (audio)
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
sermonic adjective

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 At the Highland Park synagogue, Freedman plans to address this climate of antisemitism during his sermon later this week on Yom Kippur, which ends the 10-day span known as Judaism’s High Holy Days. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 6 Oct. 2024 The ad features a clip from a sermon by Billy Graham, calling on believers to atone for their sins. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024 Regina Fair, a board member at Bethel AME-Los Angeles, said her church draws a few hundred people on Sundays but has cut back to a single sermon. Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2024 Fifty years before TikTok appeared in the app store, Hagin began broadcasting his sermons over the radio and selling reel-to-reel tapes to anyone willing to pay for them. Laura Bullard, Vox, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sermon 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sermon.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French sermun, from Medieval Latin sermon-, sermo, from Latin, speech, conversation, from serere to link together — more at series

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sermon was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sermon

Cite this Entry

“Sermon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sermon. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sermon

noun
ser·​mon ˈsər-mən How to pronounce sermon (audio)
1
: a public speech usually by a priest, minister, or rabbi for the purpose of giving religious instruction
2
: a speech on conduct or duty

More from Merriam-Webster on sermon

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