tithe

1 of 2

noun

1
: a tenth part of something paid as a voluntary contribution or as a tax especially for the support of a religious establishment
2
: the obligation represented by individual tithes
3
: tenth
broadly : a small part
4
: a small tax or levy

tithe

2 of 2

verb

tithed; tithing

transitive verb

1
: to pay or give a tenth part of especially for the support of a religious establishment or organization
2
: to levy a tithe on

intransitive verb

: to give a tenth of one's income as a tithe

Examples of tithe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The congressman has proposed a bill that aims to ensure Americans who donate to charity or give tithes can benefit from federal tax reductions. Emily Anderson Stern, The Salt Lake Tribune, 29 Aug. 2023 Churches are required to fulfill financial obligations for pension liabilities and apportionments (conference tithes) before taking their property with them. Greg Garrison | , al, 12 June 2023 Among other things, the agreement requires breakaway congregations to pay an additional tithe based on their income over the past 12 months. Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 14 May 2023 Church leaders had anticipated that: outside the auditorium were rows of card machines, and inside, bank numbers flashed on a giant screen so worshipers could transfer their tithes instead. Ruth MacLean, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2023 The capital, collected through regular tithes from Mormon faithful, is deployed across hedge funds, public equities, and private lands, and rivals the hoards held by university endowments and sovereign wealth funds. Tim Fernholz, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2023 And what constitutes a full tithe? David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2022 In order to ensure that all Muslims can participate in Eid al-Fitr regardless of their financial circumstances, Muslims pay a tithe called zakat al-fitr. Lizz Schumer, Good Housekeeping, 6 Feb. 2023 During the next six months, MacAskill and Ord enjoined their friends and other moral philosophers to pledge a secular tithe. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022
Verb
But for houses of worship everywhere, the pandemic has changed the ways followers can tithe. NBC News, 23 Dec. 2020 Some members are now asking why details about the fund have been tightly held for so long, what the money is for, and whether tithing so much to the church should still be the standard practice. Rachael Levy, WSJ, 8 Feb. 2020 The church also owns real estate worth billions of dollars, according to the complaint, which focuses on surplus tithing money and says that the church may have additional holdings not managed by Ensign. Anchorage Daily News, 17 Dec. 2019 Europeans who were employed by the studios would tithe 1% of their earnings to the fund, which dispensed stipends to needy émigrés. Scott Eyman, WSJ, 24 Jan. 2020 Mark Willes, Deseret Management's president and chief executive at the time, was reported to have said that no tithing money was used in the transaction. Anchorage Daily News, 17 Dec. 2019 Nativity’s 4,000 parishioners can tithe or donate by credit card, e-check, electronic funds transfer and even at electronic kiosks in the lobby. Jonathan M. Pitts, baltimoresun.com, 6 Dec. 2019 My daddy was a saver who rarely spent anything, saved everything, and fully tithed at church plus extra. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 27 June 2019 According to persistent rumors, after King Constantine was deposed, a small group of wealthy Greek families tithed, in effect, for his benefit. Michael Joseph Gross, Vanities, 27 Apr. 2018 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tithe.' 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

Noun

Middle English, from Old English teogotha tenth; akin to Middle Low German tegede tenth, Old English tīen ten — more at ten

Verb

Middle English, from Old English teogothian, from teogotha tenth

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tithe was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tithe

Cite this Entry

“Tithe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tithe. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

tithe

1 of 2 verb
tithed; tithing
: to pay or give a tithe
tither noun

tithe

2 of 2 noun
: a tenth part (as of one's income) given especially as a contribution to a church
Etymology

Verb

Old English teogothian "to give a tenth part," from teogotha "tenth"

More from Merriam-Webster on tithe

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