sins 1 of 2

noun

plural of sin
1
as in crimes
a breaking of a moral or legal code a child old enough to know that lying is a sin

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2
as in evils
that which is morally unacceptable a minister who worries that modern society has abandoned the concept of sin

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3
as in shames
a regrettable or blameworthy act it's a sin to waste food when people are starving

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4
as in weaknesses
a defect in character my besetting sin is impatience—I hate to wait for anything

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sins

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of sin
as in trespasses
to commit an offense bless me, Father, for I have sinned

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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 sins
Noun
For one thing covetousness, as opposed to the more concrete sins like theft or murder or adultery, is a thought crime, and almost all that goes on here, happens within the minds of the characters. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2026 Summaries of their sins and absurdities have now filled several books, but a sampler is instructive. — Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026 In the final season, as the survivors race to bury their sins before rescue arrives and an old flame roars back into town with plans of her own. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026 Fans of improv, musicals and audience participation will thoroughly enjoy this performance and should be prepared to repent for sins like eating a hamburger, owning too many snakes or yearning for a younger man. — Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026 Seven of our contributors gamely shared (some of) their secret sins. — Sabrina Jaszi, The Dial, 4 Aug. 2026 Among Ashley’s many sins, none were more wicked than the alienation of club legends, particularly Keegan. — James Pearce, New York Times, 22 July 2026 That creates a dangerous possibility of AI as the ultimate seven-sins machine. — Regan Peng, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 The big mic drop at the conclusion of the finale turns out that Paula is a stone-cold (if possibly accidental) killer after all, and that the shadowy Souter Group is going to make her pay for her sins. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 15 July 2026
Verb
John DeWitt, the four-star general who oversaw the internment program, in particular, seems to be a forerunner to some of America's worst errors, paranoia, sins. — Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Dec. 2025 God’s likeness, which is our true, spiritual identity, never sins and is never punished. — Tony Lobl, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sins
  1. crimes
  2. evils
  3. shames
  4. weaknesses
  5. falls
  6. violations
  7. wrongs
  8. faults
Noun
  • In a strange quirk of the 2026-27 fixture list, Leeds have been sent to the scenes of those crimes in quick succession once again.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Federal prosecutors usually do not use espionage charges to convict foreign agents spying on exile groups, but instead charge them with other crimes like conspiracy or acting as an agent of a foreign government.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of crimes
Noun
  • But for Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the local personalities pale in comparison to the evils lurking beneath the cursed island’s surface.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Only instead of crusading against the evils of dancing teenagers, our most pedantic podcasters have joined forces to convince their audiences that Tony Romo should be doing the Texas two-step to the nearest unemployment office.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of evils
Noun
  • While his character jokes casually about the shames of flying commercial, Ruck apologizes several times when referencing that, after 40 years of acting, work trips are often flown first class.
    — Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2021
Definition of shames
Noun
  • Namibia conditions expose weaknesses Researchers from the University of Namibia provided access to a coastal campus site and shared local knowledge for the experiment.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Utah was expected to win handily and the Utes showed no glaring weaknesses in the blowout.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of weaknesses
Verb
  • Wisconsin only falls one spot after being competitive with Notre Dame for more than a half.
    — Chris Vannini, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • When the baseline is agreed early, each new agent inherits it, and the cost and risk of every additional deployment falls rather than rising.
    — Krishnaveni Palanivelu, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls
Noun
  • But dropping the questions could boost responses without risking privacy violations.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
  • All critical violations were corrected, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen the following day.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • Tort law is a branch of civil law that deals with civil wrongs or injuries, allowing an injured party to seek compensation from the person or entity responsible.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Just in time for Labor Day, the National Labor Relations Board can finally right some of the wrongs of the Biden administration.
    — Marvin E. Kaplan, Washington Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrongs
Noun
  • But classic Range Rovers drive like classic cars, with all their inherent faults, and the price tag can be eye-watering.
    — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Every additional precision subsystem creates more opportunities for faults, while customer machines may be located far from specialists who know how to fix them.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of faults

Browse Nearby Words

sinning
sins
sin tax
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Cite this Entry

“Sins.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sins. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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