Definition of sanctuarynext
1
as in shrine
a place that is considered sacred (as within a religion) by law, anyone who sought refuge in a religious sanctuary was safe from arrest by the civil authorities

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 sanctuary As childhood memories are made and fade in the same instant, siblings Lily and Bodhi diverge at the dawn of life beyond their home, a Colorado alligator sanctuary. Matthew Carey, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2026 Offshore trusts were marketed as quiet sanctuaries, insulated by geography and confidentiality statutes. Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026 It was organized in 1941 and met at a sanctuary in Detroit, but moved to West Bloomfield, a suburb of the city, with the completion of a new building in 1980. Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 12 Mar. 2026 For a couple whose private life was a matter of public record, this sanctuary—tucked away in a former 19th-century warehouse—would have been their portal back to an unscrutinized New York. Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 12 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sanctuary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sanctuary
Noun
  • Leo will preside over a peace meeting in northwest Cameroon, visit an important Marian shrine in Angola and pray at a memorial to victims of a 2021 blast in Equatorial Guinea that killed more than 100 people and was blamed on negligence.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
  • No Route 66 road trip is complete without a stop at the First Original McDonald’s Museum in San Bernardino, California, a veritable shrine to the golden arches.
    Zoey Goto, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Arriving in the Coachella Valley, with its impossibly blue skies and neighboring Joshua Tree wilderness, one's sense of scale and perspective soon recalibrates; a prerequisite, perhaps, for experiencing a city that has long served as refuge.
    Sophie Morgan, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Mar. 2026
  • The high temperatures particularly threaten babies, young children and elderly residents; Mayor Karen Bass urges residents to seek refuge in city cooling centers at recreation facilities and libraries.
    Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Iran kept up its wave of attacks launched at Israel that have sent millions of people to shelters, with sirens sounding across a wide swath of the north, from Haifa to the Galilee to the border with Lebanon.
    DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS, Arkansas Online, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Well before the Bellevue shelter reached its current state, people were trying to shut it down.
    Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Altogether, service is low‑key and functional rather than reverential—more practical help, less concierge fanfare—which actually fits the retreat’s stripped‑down, results-first vibe.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Owned by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), this glamping retreat ten minutes from the entrance to Acadia National Park has 64 secluded canvas-and-wood tents set among the trees.
    The Editors, Outside, 18 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sanctuary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sanctuary. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.

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