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as in refuge
something (as a building) that offers cover from the weather or protection from danger
the marshland has been set aside as a sanctuary for shorebirds along that section of the coast
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sanctuary
The sanctuary's goats also help clear invasive plants and brush across Rhode Island during warmer months.
—
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Jan. 2026
Gibson recounts the trajectory of Palmares as just one part of a much longer history of people seeking freedom and sanctuary in the midst of colonial societies.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Play around with burgundy, pink, blue, black, browns, and whites to create a bedding sanctuary that’s all yours.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
The Methodist community moved into the area that later became the sanctuary for the Oak Lawn Methodist Church in 1874, according to The Dallas Morning News archives.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sanctuary
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 6 Jan. 2026
Gibson recounts the trajectory of Palmares as just one part of a much longer history of people seeking freedom and sanctuary in the midst of colonial societies.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Play around with burgundy, pink, blue, black, browns, and whites to create a bedding sanctuary that’s all yours.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 6 Jan. 2026
The Methodist community moved into the area that later became the sanctuary for the Oak Lawn Methodist Church in 1874, according to The Dallas Morning News archives.
—Timia Cobb
breaking News Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sanctuary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctuary
Noun
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The result feels like a cavalier stunt—an audio-documentary shrine erected on a wobbly visual-narrative foundation.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
14 Jan. 2026
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Mashhad is home to the Imam Reza shrine, the holiest in Shiite Islam, making the protests there carry heavy significance for the country's theocracy.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Sosa Rojas first fled persecution in Venezuela in 2014, seeking refuge with his family in Colombia, where his wife was born.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
7 Jan. 2026
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The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.—
Laurent Dubois,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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More than 60 dogs seized during a federal raid on an East Texas ranch are now receiving intensive, lifesaving treatment inside the SPCA of Texas' Dallas shelter.—
J.D. Miles,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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Joyce, who joined Metro in 2023, led the HOME team that scoped out unhoused folks riding the buses and trains as mobile shelters and connected with shelter and housing providers.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The retreat sparked criticism from other Democrats and spurred the filing of more than a dozen ethics complaints against Opportunity Caucus members.—
Nick Coltrain,
Denver Post,
14 Jan. 2026
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Whether the call with Phillips 66 played a role in California’s retreat from its refinery profit cap and broader pivot on oil is impossible to determine from the calendars alone.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sanctuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctuary. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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