as in factions
a group of people acting together within a larger group
one sect of medical researchers holds the minority view that the disease is not caused by that virus
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Recent Examples of sects
There is no single Sharia code, similar to how there is no single body of law for the hundreds of Christian sects throughout the world.
—
Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
But this year, Christian leaders across sects—including Catholics, Evangelicals, and Baptists—sounded the alarm on AI’s potential impact on family, human relationships, labor, and the church itself.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
But Landor’s appeal is backed by dozens of 30 religious and civil rights groups from across the ideological spectrum and representing large and small sects.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Just like there are many sects of Judaism or Christianity, there are many ways to be Muslim.
—Deena Elgenaidi, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
And Hezbollah, as the most heavily armed and violent element of Lebanon’s menagerie of factions and sects, wanted the guns without the responsibility.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Acclaimed since at least the fourth century as the site of the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, the church building has been under the joint governance of Greek, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox sects, the Armenian Apostolic church and the Roman Catholics since the days of the Ottomans.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 13 June 2025
Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026
But this year, Christian leaders across sects—including Catholics, Evangelicals, and Baptists—sounded the alarm on AI’s potential impact on family, human relationships, labor, and the church itself.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
But Landor’s appeal is backed by dozens of 30 religious and civil rights groups from across the ideological spectrum and representing large and small sects.
—Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
Just like there are many sects of Judaism or Christianity, there are many ways to be Muslim.
—Deena Elgenaidi, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
And Hezbollah, as the most heavily armed and violent element of Lebanon’s menagerie of factions and sects, wanted the guns without the responsibility.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
In Chinese myths, being an immortal can sort of feel like being a government employee — celestial bureaucracies make decisions that affect both the heavenly and mortal realms, and leaders of different immortal sects can engage in power plays and politics.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
Acclaimed since at least the fourth century as the site of the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth, the church building has been under the joint governance of Greek, Coptic, Ethiopian and Syriac Orthodox sects, the Armenian Apostolic church and the Roman Catholics since the days of the Ottomans.
—Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 13 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sects
Noun
-
Over the past several weeks, leaders in the MAHA movement and the GOP have been fighting over how to win the midterms without angering the factions that make up MAHA.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Though the agreement was widely celebrated, the prospects for peace were quickly questioned because the deal didn’t include all warring factions.—
ABC NEWS,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In such arrangements, the parties typically split the payments, with the authorized entity completing the reimbursement paperwork and the ineligible provider ostensibly performing the services billed.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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Many Republican officeholders in the Reaganite mold opposed them, and economists from both parties warned that they were poorly designed to reduce the overall trade deficit.—
David Pozen,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sects. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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