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
With the colonies on the brink of collapse, the Reverend George Whitefield ignites the first Great Awakening, uniting an entire generation with his thundering and faithful sermons and proclamations of liberty.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Sam Vanderwall, one of six elders of the church, told the Idaho Statesman that Masiewicz handled the regular Sunday sermons.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Sep. 2025
Evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham and Paula White-Cain have taken to YouTube to share sermons and teachings.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Kyle Reynolds, pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, and Cory Bowman, a Cincinnati mayoral candidate and Vice President JD Vance's half-brother, called for unity in sermons to the crowd.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Sep. 2025
And several Black pastors rejected the celebration of Kirk’s legacy during their Sunday sermons.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Wicks’ sermons tend toward the extreme fire-and-brimstone, vengeance-is-mine variety.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
As for the general thrust of his sermons?
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2025
Sam Vanderwall, one of six elders of the church, told the Idaho Statesman that Masiewicz handled the regular Sunday sermons.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 24 Sep. 2025
Evangelical leaders like Franklin Graham and Paula White-Cain have taken to YouTube to share sermons and teachings.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
Kyle Reynolds, pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church, and Cory Bowman, a Cincinnati mayoral candidate and Vice President JD Vance's half-brother, called for unity in sermons to the crowd.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 Sep. 2025
And several Black pastors rejected the celebration of Kirk’s legacy during their Sunday sermons.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2025
Wicks’ sermons tend toward the extreme fire-and-brimstone, vengeance-is-mine variety.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2025
As for the general thrust of his sermons?
—Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025
Habib Diallo, a 60-year-old former army commando, said attending the sermons and discussions with the imam taught him about the risks of home births.
—Arkansas Online, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sermons
Noun
-
For a whole year, Hersh didn’t utter a single word in his new class, where the teacher recited lessons in modern Hebrew.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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In each episode, the trio will embark on adventures across Brazil, discovering unique biomes, cultural traditions and important lessons about environmental preservation and the power of collaboration.—
Marcelo Cajueiro,
Variety,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Weiss began pulling down as much as $150,000 per engagement, a point of contention in the pro-Israel space, where advocates give speeches for free.—
Tatiana Siegel,
Variety,
7 Oct. 2025
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United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain is another example of a union leader whose speeches draw from the Bible.—
The Conversation,
The Conversation,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Health care talks plant seeds to resolve shutdown Federal subsidies for people to participate in the Affordable Care Act, which is nicknamed Obamacare, are expiring at the end of the year.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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President Petr Pavel, who will appoint the next prime minister, was expected to start talks with party leaders on Sunday.—
Reuters 3 hr ago,
CNN Money,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sermons.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sermons. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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