denomination

noun

de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce denomination (audio)
1
: an act of denominating
the denomination of prices in U.S. dollars
2
: a value or size of a series of values or sizes
metric denominations
especially : the value of a particular coin or bill
bills in $20 and $50 denominations
3
: name, designation
especially : a general name for a category
listed under the general denomination of gifts
4
: a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices
people from several different Christian denominations
denominational adjective
denominationally adverb

Examples of denomination in a Sentence

People from several different religious denominations participated in the event. Methodists, Baptists, and other Christian denominations. It's one of the more conservative denominations. The kidnappers asked for bills in small denominations. The gift certificates are available in $5 and $10 denominations. She spoke with people of many different political denominations.
Recent Examples on the Web The National Baptist Convention, USA, is one of four major Black Baptist denominations in the U.S. and is the oldest and largest of the four. Liam Adams, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024 The Catholic Church reiterated its long-standing opposition to IVF in a letter to the U.S. Senate, and this spring the Southern Baptist Convention, the country’s largest Protestant denomination, voted to oppose IVF. Sushma Subramanian, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2024 As a result, patrons — especially tourists — carry wads of bills to dinner, making stacks of pesos for the tip alone a common sight given the country’s largest denomination banknote was until recently just 2,000 pesos (about $1.50). Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2024 Griswold—whose father, once the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, consecrated the denomination’s first openly gay bishop—treats the pastors generously, though gingerly, constructing from their lowest moments an affecting study of sacred life in sacrilegious times. Harper's Magazine, 25 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for denomination 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'denomination.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see denominate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of denomination was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near denomination

Cite this Entry

“Denomination.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/denomination. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

denomination

noun
de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnäm-ə-ˈnā-shən How to pronounce denomination (audio)
1
: an act of denominating
2
: one of a series of related values each having a special name
a $5 bill represents one denomination of U.S. money
3
: name entry 1 sense 1, designation
especially : a general name for a class of things
4
: a religious body made up of a number of congregations with similar beliefs
denominational
-shnəl How to pronounce denomination (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on denomination

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