Definition of catechizenext
1
as in to ask
to put a question or questions to her roommates catechized her about every detail of her first day at her new job

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2
as in to interrogate
to put a series of questions to applicants are rigorously catechized by the seminary's rector regarding their motives for joining the priesthood

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catechize Priests could not catechize children, bring the sacraments to the sick, or do pastoral work outside the local churchyard. George Weigel, WSJ, 17 Mar. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catechize
Verb
  • Of significance, the city is asking the Blazers to pay $3 million annually for a property tax offset, which would escalate over time.
    Jason Quick, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Some hospitality workers may have been asked to work longer hours during the games for higher pay – but that wouldn’t show up meaningfully in the jobs report.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Verb
  • The brothers’ previous films included 2021’s Camp Confidential, about European Jews who found asylum in America after fleeing Nazi Europe, enlisted in the Army, and interrogated Nazi war criminals at a secret camp.
    Marisa Fox, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
  • Along these routes, the bulldozers piled up mounds to enclose fortified compounds, military outposts and detention facilities where Palestinians were interrogated and tortured.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • Rather than questioning Tuchel’s right to criticise, Kane took his manager’s side.
    Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • In past hearings, Paul has frequently questioned the former White House medical adviser about bat coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.
    David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 July 2026
Verb
  • The deputies responded to the scene in personal work trucks rather than the department’s bomb truck and Osborn improperly examined the grenade and falsely reported it inert, according to the complaint.
    Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • The advocacy group Innocence Project encountered Smith while examining prison admission dates.
    Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Catechize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catechize. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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