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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Relevance

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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
While some newly prominent groups (such as those who later became known as Quakers) emphasized love, fellowship and justice, some members of other sects (like the Presbyterians) created new fears, new sins, new tests and new punishments. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Kaporos is intended to symbolize the transfer of one’s sins to a chicken. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026 The sins of the father are ultimately presented in a literal, stomach-churning slideshow that haphazardly alternates benign family snaps with gleeful photographic evidence of Johan’s war crimes. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026 The speech is also a kind of litmus test for translators and adaptors, an opportunity for a politically progressive character to let rip not simply against general human hypocrisy but against the particular sins of a moment. — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026 Yet what follows is an extended list of ethical sins, with a focus on the sins of abusive speech, such as slandering, slurring, slighting and smearing the reputations of others. — Reuven Kimelman, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 The context of the record, about the ghosts left in the wake of American sins, is gripping enough, but Williams’ voice cut through with staggering precision. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 So lets unpack all the sins and consequences, starting with those tied to the case John just closed. — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026 Some Jews may pray near a body of water in a Tashlich ceremony, tossing pieces of bread or other food into the water to symbolize sending off sins. — Bailey Allen, The Providence Journal, 10 Sep. 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
  • The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges.
    — Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Officers from the Investigative Psychology Unit, which specializes in complex or serial violent crimes, are part of the investigation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of crimes
Noun
  • For many, recognizing the evils Hamas committed on October 7 obviated the need to understand them.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Early in the outbreak, Tedros talked about having visited the outbreak zone and being struck by the fact that many people seemed to view Ebola as a lesser of evils.
    — Helen Branswell, STAT, 16 Sep. 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
  • Your organization’s weaknesses may be structural, such as an overreliance on a single revenue stream.
    — Nancy Padberg, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Some programs use non-conference play to stack wins, while the more competitive programs use non-conference games as an opportunity to find potential weaknesses.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of weaknesses
Verb
  • Warmer temperatures associated with El Niño can mean more precipitation falls as rain rather than snow at lower elevations, while colder, higher elevations remain more likely to see accumulating snow.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
  • If unit cost falls while outcomes hold or improve, there may be a case to scale.
    — Alec Scott, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of falls
Noun
  • Jury finds Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of consumer protection law with potential penalties of more than $200 billion.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The callers claim that their victims have warrants out for their arrest for missing jury duty or other violations and pressure them to deposit funds in bitcoin ATMs, officials said.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of violations
Noun
  • But the two bills Newsom vetoed on Wednesday, AB 1881 and AB 2218, sought to redress those historic wrongs by requiring the state to take Indigenous history with land and waterways into account, proponents of them said.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Billy Baker giving [Preach] a second chance at life to right his wrongs and become a teacher…that’s real life.
    — Katie Campione, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of wrongs
Noun
  • Recently, Qnetic completed its first 100 continuous charge-discharge cycles with zero faults or degradation, a key indicator of its reliability.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The team suspects the increase in the rate and intensity of earthquakes shows that Earth’s crust did not return to normal after the final test in 2017, but instead seismicity increased as at least two preexisting faults became active, Kim said.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 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 3 Oct. 2026.

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