church

Definition of churchnext
1
as in temple
a building for public worship and especially Christian worship a city that is noted for its many historic churches

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2
as in congregation
a body of persons gathered for religious worship spoke to the whole church at once

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3
as in clergy
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church a time when few young men seem to want to join the church

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 church The church and surrounding community were supportive of the couple throughout the last six months. Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 6 May 2026 Jarvis helped coordinate a service at their church in West Virginia and in Philadelphia on May 10, 1908, a day close to the anniversary of her mother's passing. Kerri Corrado, CBS News, 6 May 2026 The acoustics of the church carry the voices of Goliath’s women as they, one after another, hold a single note as a lament for the dead. Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026 The city is also home to multiple Korean churches from Baptist to Presbyterian. ABC News, 5 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for church
Recent Examples of Synonyms for church
Noun
  • Despite the temple's optimistic outlook, the move has drawn criticism online.
    Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026
  • Mount Fuji looms on the horizon, cherry blossoms line the roads, and Buddhist temples dot the foothills.
    Mark Dent, HubSpot, 8 May 2026
Noun
  • Ries ministers to the congregation of 211 members that belongs to the monastery church.
    ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
  • Site visits and work in the studio will be part of her creative research, as well as dialogues with religious communities and congregations, university professors and artisans.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • The service was held at the same church where Bartholomew's grandfather once served as a member of the clergy.
    Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 8 May 2026
  • The man in 1963 who became the spokesman of the ultra right in the Iranian clergy was Ruhollah Khomeini.
    Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • Worshippers initially met in the small chapel of a local funeral home and now gather at nine campuses.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
  • The chapel is a physical representation of what Valparaiso means as a Lutheran university, Keefe said.
    Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • As with a cathedral, a basilica may be a relatively humble edifice, though many are spectacular buildings.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 May 2026
  • Originally built as a private mansion in the 1920s on one of the city’s major avenues, just moments away from the city’s Gothic cathedral and Picasso Museum, the hotel was given a deluxe makeover in 2024.
    Eddi Fiegel, Robb Report, 7 May 2026
Noun
  • In the corner of one of Amsterdam's most elegant 17th-century canal houses, a cheetah leaps from an antique tabernacle.
    Karen Burshtein, Time, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Vandals broke into a Catholic school in Long Beach overnight Monday, stealing church items, damaging statues and tossing the tabernacle to the ground, according to police and school officials.
    Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Church.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/church. Accessed 12 May. 2026.

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