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• church
  church

  noun

  a building for public Christian worship.
• Church
  Church

  noun

  Frederick Edwin, 1826–1900, U.S. painter.

church

¹ American  

[church] / tʃɜrtʃ /

noun

1. a building for public Christian worship.

2. public Christian worship of God; a Christian religious service.

   They attend church regularly.

   What time does your church start?

3. none the church or the Church, the whole body of Christian believers.

4. Sometimes Church. any organized group of Christian believers professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination.

   the Methodist Church.

5. that part of the whole Christian body, or of a particular denomination, belonging to the same city, country, nation, etc..

   The African church was well represented at the international ecumenical conference.

6. a body of Christians worshipping in a particular building or constituting one congregation.

   She is a member of this church.

7. ecclesiastical organization, power, and affairs, as distinguished from the state.

   The separation of church and state is entrenched in the U.S. Constitution.

8. the clergy and religious officials of a Christian denomination.

   The missionary went wherever the church sent him.

9. the Christian faith.

   The early 20th century saw the return of many intellectuals to the church.

10. none the church or the Church, the organized body of professing Christians before the Reformation.

    In a.d. 325, Constantine summoned the leaders of the Church to a conference at Nicaea.

11. the Church, the Roman Catholic Church.

12. the clerical profession or calling.

    After much study and contemplation, he was prepared to enter the church.

13. Sometimes Offensive. any non-Christian religious society, organization, or congregation, or its place of public worship.

    He is part of a Satanist church.

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verb (used with object)

1. to conduct or bring to church, especially for special services.

2. South Midland and Southern U.S. to subject to church discipline.

3. to perform a church service of thanksgiving for (a woman after childbirth).

Church ² American  

[church] / tʃɜrtʃ /

noun

1. Frederick Edwin, 1826–1900, U.S. painter.

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church ¹ British  

/ tʃɜːtʃ /

noun

1. a building designed for public forms of worship, esp Christian worship

2. an occasion of public worship

3. the clergy as distinguished from the laity

4. (usually capital) institutionalized forms of religion as a political or social force

   conflict between Church and State

5. (usually capital) the collective body of all Christians

6. (often capital) a particular Christian denomination or group of Christian believers

7. (often capital) the Christian religion

8. (in Britain) the practices or doctrines of the Church of England and similar denominations Compare chapel

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verb

1. Church of England to bring (someone, esp a woman after childbirth) to church for special ceremonies

2. to impose church discipline upon

Church ² British  

/ tʃɜːtʃ /

noun

1. Charlotte. born 1986, Welsh soprano, who made her name with the album Voice of an Angel (1998) when she was 12

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church Cultural  

1. A group of Christians (see also Christian); church is a biblical word for “assembly.” It can mean any of the following: (1) All Christians, living and dead. (See saints.) (2) All Christians living in the world. (3) One of the large divisions or denominations of Christianity, such as the Eastern Orthodox Church, Methodist Church, or Roman Catholic Church. (4) An individual congregation of Christians meeting in one building; also the building itself.

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church Idioms  

1. see poor as a churchmouse.

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Other Word Forms

• antichurch
  adjective
• nonchurch
  noun
• prochurch
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of church

First recorded before 900; Middle English chir(i)che, Old English cir(i)ce, ultimately from Greek kȳri(a)kón (dôma) “the Lord's (house),” neuter of kȳriakós “of the master,” from kȳ́ri(os) “master” (from kŷr(os) “power” + -ios, noun suffix) + -akos (variant of -ikos -ic ); akin to Dutch kerk, German Kirche, Old Norse kirkja; see kirk

Explanation

A church is where you go for a public religious service. On Easter, some people go to church to pray. Church derives from the Greek word kuriakon (doma) meaning "Lord's (house)." A public building or place mainly used for worship, a church can be modest in structure and appearance or large and ornate, with stained glass windows and a grand interior. Inside a church, you are said to attend church, which is a service given by a religious official that helps guide worship. Church can also refer to the group of people you see regularly at Sunday's service.

Example Sentences

Christian symbols were lifted from church contexts and recirculated through popular culture, including fashion, in new ways.

From Salon • May 17, 2026

During the Napoleonic Wars in the 1810s, it was moved along with other manuscripts to the church of San Bernardo alle Terme in Rome for safekeeping.

From Science Daily • May 17, 2026

In Meghalaya's capital, music spills constantly through public life: church choirs rehearsing late into the evening, teenage metal bands in garages, blues musicians drifting through dimly-lit bars.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

There are passages for unaccompanied chorus that hark back to church music of the Renaissance and moments that seem like Dada before its time.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

“Thought I’d practice here in the church for a while. Would you like to give a listen?”

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Related Words

• chapel
• mosque
• parish
• sanctuary
• shrine
• synagogue
• temple