Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Black Mass

American  
Or black mass

noun

  1. a blasphemous ceremony mocking the Christian Mass, especially one by an alleged worshiper of Satan.

  2. a Requiem Mass.

black mass British  

noun

  1. (sometimes capitals) a blasphemous travesty of the Christian Mass, performed by practitioners of black magic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Black Mass

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Bulger, the former leader of South Boston's Winter Hill gang, inspired the film Black Mass featuring Johnny Depp, and The Departed, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 2007.

From BBC • Aug. 18, 2022

Cooper, a former actor, directed Jeff Bridges to an Academy Award in "Crazy Heart" and Johnny Depp to one of his best performances in "Black Mass."

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2017

The 2015 movie "Black Mass" told the story of Bulger's rise to power and eventual arrest.

From Reuters • May 9, 2016

Related: Black Mass review - compelling true crime drama is mighty comeback for Johnny Depp Bulger’s former comrades turned on Bulger when the FBI admitted he was their informant.

From The Guardian • Apr. 28, 2016

After what he had been through, the Black Mass was necessarily an anticlimax.

From The Status Civilization by Sheckley, Robert

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.