congregation

American  

[kong-gri-gay-shuhn] / ˌkɒŋ grɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

noun

• congregations
  plural

1. an assembly of persons brought together for common religious worship.

2. the act of congregating or the state of being congregated.

3. a gathered or assembled body; assemblage.

4. an organization formed for the purpose of providing for worship of God, for religious education, and for other church activities; a local church society.

5. (in the Bible) the people of Israel.

6. New Testament. the Christian church in general.

7. Roman Catholic Church.

   1. a committee of cardinals or other ecclesiastics.

   2. a community of men or women, either with or without vows, observing a common rule.

8. (at English universities) the general assembly of the doctors, fellows, etc.

9. (in colonial North America) a parish, town, plantation, or other settlement.

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congregation British  

/ ˌkɒŋɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən /

noun

1. a group of persons gathered for worship, prayer, etc, esp in a church or chapel

2. the act of congregating or collecting together

3. a group of people, objects, etc, collected together; assemblage

4. the group of persons habitually attending a given church, chapel, etc

5. RC Church

   1. a society of persons who follow a common rule of life but who are bound only by simple vows

   2. Also called: dicastery. an administrative subdivision of the papal curia

   3. an administrative committee of bishops for arranging the business of a general council

6. an assembly of senior members of a university

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• congregations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of congregation

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English congregacio(u)n, from Anglo-French or directly from Latin congregātiōn- (stem of congregātiō ); see congregate, -ion

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Explanation

Although the word is most usually assigned to the members of a church, any gathering might be called a congregation, including a gathering of animals. Come to think of it, a congregation of church members is often called a "flock." The Latin root of congregation, which is greg, meaning "flock," easily becomes congregare, meaning "to gather together," and finally congregationen, giving the current meaning of “a group.” The meaning took on a religious quality when 16th Century Protestants took it to refer to the church itself, then refining it to mean church members. If you're not a churchgoer, you might still refer to your friends who show up to watch football as a congregation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

congregation congregations

I’d been baptized and raised in a mainstream Kentucky Protestant church, but my father had shared childhood stories of snake handling and speaking in tongues in his Pentecostal Appalachian congregation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Modern life turns out to be, among other things, a vast congregation of machines taking one another’s word for what time it is.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

The Sisters of Nazareth allow requests for both remote enquiries and on-site research, but visits must be approved by the congregation and are supervised.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Like nearly everyone I grew up around in this corner of Pennsylvania, Sundays in our house were a congregation in green, and I was the lone holdout in the pew, quietly pulling for New England.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

Despite all the invites, the congregation didn’t swell much that day.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

The food bank was a success and still operates today, having unfortunately outlived two of the congregations that founded it.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026

At the end of the week, Jewish congregations will celebrate Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Nonetheless, he continued preaching and planted several Baptist congregations over the next nine years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

Smoke could be seen billowing from Temple Israel, one of the largest Reform Judaism congregations in the country, after the attack and fire engines were on the scene.

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

These were the church congregations who were always putting out little signs announcing that inside they were selling fried chicken and chitlin dinners to raise some money.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

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Related Words

• audience
• crowd
• flock
• gathering
• parish
• throng

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