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
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Recent Examples of sermons
Churchome had been moving toward remote worship already, rolling out an app with livestreams, bite-size sermons, and a live-chat function.
—
Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
With actual recordings of controversial sermons and tons of archival footage, the documentary investigates claims of cult-like control while exploring how Mary’s reality TV stardom complicated an already messy situation.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 1 Jan. 2026
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
On good days, Mani meditated, drank water, tidied his apartment, and listened to monk sermons.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
As a child, Wilson would shake this instrument during sermons in her South Carolina Baptist church.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
In the last few months, with Pope Leo XIV 's papacy, Báez has started delivering again powerful and blunt sermons at Miami Masses.
—CBS News, 9 Dec. 2025
After 2018, Jin transformed Zion Church into a semi-virtual network, uploading sermons online and encouraging members around the country to gather and watch sessions together.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Sam Kestenbaum, Vulture, 2 Jan. 2026
With actual recordings of controversial sermons and tons of archival footage, the documentary investigates claims of cult-like control while exploring how Mary’s reality TV stardom complicated an already messy situation.
—Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 1 Jan. 2026
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a quieter, more diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Reuters, NBC news, 25 Dec. 2025
Leo, celebrating his first Christmas after being elected in May by the world's cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, has a more quiet, diplomatic style than his predecessor and usually refrains from making political references in his sermons.
—Joshua McElwee, USA Today, 25 Dec. 2025
On good days, Mani meditated, drank water, tidied his apartment, and listened to monk sermons.
—Literary Hub, 16 Dec. 2025
As a child, Wilson would shake this instrument during sermons in her South Carolina Baptist church.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025
In the last few months, with Pope Leo XIV 's papacy, Báez has started delivering again powerful and blunt sermons at Miami Masses.
—CBS News, 9 Dec. 2025
After 2018, Jin transformed Zion Church into a semi-virtual network, uploading sermons online and encouraging members around the country to gather and watch sessions together.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sermons
Noun
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On the other hand, parents who came after the boomer generation are more likely to recognize that failure can teach lessons too, like building resilience.—
Holly Garcia,
Parents,
11 Jan. 2026
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Looking ahead, the lessons learned from the near-disaster could be used for future projects like sub-sea tunnels, metro systems, and work in high-risk geological environments.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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All those years of speeches are housed in one place, across the street from the Capitol, in the State Library and court building.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Muse didn’t give any magical speeches when the Penguins returned from the holiday break.—
Josh Yohe,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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No lectures, no homilies, no empty words.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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In his fiery homilies, the Monsignor seems to target one new congregation member per week, pushing for the victory of a walkout.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2019
Noun
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Sometimes, that means a staff member sits near the enclosure and talks to them or reads a book to them.—
Beth Lipoff,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
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The organization puts on talks and networking events for women of color in Sacramento, and solicits sponsorships from companies like AT&T and the California Faculty Association.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sermons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sermons. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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