sermons

noun

plural of sermon
as in lessons
a public speech usually by a member of the clergy for the purpose of giving moral guidance or uplift a sermon whose message was that we should love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 sermons Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye, charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara, sang. — Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026 The show was based around chats with guests and Christian entertainers, with Bakker offering upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye singing. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye - charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara - sang. — CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 Bakker offered upbeat sermons and Tammy Faye — charismatic and always wearing her trademark heavy mascara — sang. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 The services were led by the Lighthouse Church’s senior pastor, Kevin Tuck, a former chaplain and police officer, who delivered fiery sermons in contemporary clothes. — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026 People of faith often embraced his work, and preachers sometimes cited it in sermons. — Courier Journal Staff, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Sep. 2026 The board brought in Pam Muise, a pastor who knew Miller as a child, to help preach some sermons. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 The ad splices together quotes from two sermons Hamilton delivered in 2020 about climate change and the mass Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's death. — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sermons
  1. lessons
  2. speeches
  3. homilies
  4. talks
Noun
  • His argument reflects lessons from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where unmanned systems have become central to reconnaissance, targeting and battlefield operations.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Faith didn’t sign up for acting lessons, instead taking the advice from director Shana Feste (Country Strong), who actually discouraged her from doing so.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of lessons
Noun
  • The limits of burying the bad news Each of these interventions, whether reckless, self-destructive trade barriers, massive military invasions, or offensive divisive speeches, soaks up attention.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Seven of the 19 Alito speeches published in the book were delivered to Catholic groups.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of speeches
Noun
  • Santa Teresa Deacon Steve Herrera in his homilies often mentions farmworkers and the need to integrate the Catholic faith with assisting them.
    — Eliana Aguilar, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Cole’s canvases were synthetic constructions teeming with homilies.
    — Sebastian Smee, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Definition of homilies
Noun
  • After eleven years of trying to contain the Houthi advance militarily and through talks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his brother, Defense Minister Khaled bin Salman, face limited options.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, and the federal government last week held talks to postpone the march but failed to reach a resolution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of talks

Browse Nearby Words

sermonizing
sermons
serpent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sermons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sermons. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of nexus

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All