Sin

¹ American  

[seen] / sin /

noun

1. the Akkadian god of the moon: the counterpart of the Sumerian Nanna.

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sīn ² American  

[seen] / sin /

noun

1. the 12th letter of the Arabic alphabet.

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sin ³ American  

[seen] / sin /

noun

1. the 22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

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sin ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Trigonometry.

1. sine.

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sin ⁵ American  

[sin] / sɪn /

noun

1. transgression of divine law.

   the sin of Adam.

   Synonyms:

   violation, trespass, misdeed

2. any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle.

   Synonyms:

   wickedness, wrong

3. any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great fault or offense.

   It's a sin to waste time.

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verb (used without object)

sinned, sinning

1. to commit a sinful act.

   Synonyms:

   trespass, transgress

2. to offend against a principle, standard, etc.

verb (used with object)

sinned, sinning

1. to commit or perform sinfully.

   He sinned his crimes without compunction.

2. to bring, drive, etc., by sinning.

   He sinned his soul to perdition.

sin ¹ British  

/ sɪn /

noun

1. theol

   1. transgression of God's known will or any principle or law regarded as embodying this

   2. the condition of estrangement from God arising from such transgression See also actual sin mortal sin original sin venial sin

2. any serious offence, as against a religious or moral principle

3. any offence against a principle or standard

4. informal (of an unmarried couple) to live together

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verb

1. theol to commit a sin

2. (usually foll by against) to commit an offence (against a person, principle, etc)

sin ² British  

/ saɪn /

abbreviation

1. sine

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sin ³ British  

/ sɪn /

preposition

1. a Scot dialect word for since

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sin ⁴ British  

/ siːn /

noun

1. a variant of shin, the 21st letter in the Hebrew alphabet (שׂ), transliterated as S See shin 2

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SIN ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. social insurance number

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sin Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of sine

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sin Idioms  

1. see live in sin; more sinned against than sinning; multitude of sins; ugly as sin; wages of sin.

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Related Words

See crime.

Other Word Forms

• sinlike adjective
• sinner noun
• sinningly adverb
• sinningness noun
• unsinning adjective

Etymology

Origin of sīn¹

From Arabic

Origin of sin¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Hebrew śīn

Origin of sin¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun sinne, sin(e), sen(ne), Old English syn(n) “moral or religious offense, misdeed”; akin to German Sünde, Old Norse synd, Latin sōns (inflectional stem sont- ) “guilty,” literally “that man being the one”; the verb is derivative of the noun; the Germanic and Latin forms all being present participle forms of the root es- “to be”; am ( def. )

Example Sentences

The novel explores themes of ancestral sin and atonement against the backdrop of the forests, which stand as silent witnesses to human crimes enacted on a global scale.

From Los Angeles Times

But amid the various situations that arise out of the unlikely Cynthia-Stan relationship is a sense of retribution for youthful sins.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Now doing politics is being seen as committing a sin," said Marky.

From Barron's

The community’s emphasis on forgiveness—“the worst sin of all,” says Nash, “is to be unforgiving”—makes Hercule’s task of assigning blame more difficult.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a secular age, it takes real effort to imagine the terror of sin that motivated people like Perpetua, but it is crucial to understanding the resolve she showed in that arena.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crime
• error
• evil
• fault
• guilt
• immorality
• lust
• misdeed
• offense
• shortcoming
• transgression
• violation
• wrong
• wrongdoing