church

[ church ]

/ tʃɜrtʃ /

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noun

a building for public Christian worship.

public worship of God or a religious service in such a building: to attend church regularly.

(sometimes initial capital letter) the whole body of Christian believers; Christendom.

(sometimes initial capital letter) any division of this body professing the same creed and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a Christian denomination: the Methodist Church.

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

a body of Christians worshipping in a particular building or constituting one congregation: She is a member of this church.

ecclesiastical organization, power, and affairs, as distinguished from the state: separation of church and state; The missionary went wherever the church sent him.

the clergy and religious officials of a Christian denomination.

the Christian faith: a return of intellectuals to the church.

(initial capital letter) the Christian Church before the Reformation.

(initial capital letter) the Roman Catholic Church.

the clerical profession or calling:After much study and contemplation, he was prepared to enter the church.

a place of public worship of a non-Christian religion.

any non-Christian religious society, organization, or congregation: the Jewish church.

verb (used with object)

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

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

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

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Origin of church

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

OTHER WORDS FROM church

an·ti·church, adjectivenon·church, nounpro·church, adjective

Words nearby church

chupatti, chuppah, Chuquisaca, Chur, Churban, church, Church Army, church book, Church Commissioners, church council, churched

Other definitions for church (2 of 2)

Church

[ church ]

/ tʃɜrtʃ /

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use church in a sentence

Science got its start when the likes of Galileo and Copernicus claimed that the church, the state, even Aristotle, could no longer be trusted as authoritative sources of knowledge.
How Pseudoscientists Get Away With It - Facts So Romantic|Stuart Firestein|August 28, 2020|Nautilus
I was actually at church when that … I woke up the next morning.
Full Transcript: Sean Spicer on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’|Daniel Malloy|August 26, 2020|Ozy
Wherever they were, they always voted — in fire stations, churches, their retirement community.
Hundreds of Thousands of Nursing Home Residents May Not Be Able to Vote in November Because of the Pandemic|by Ryan McCarthy and Jack Gillum|August 26, 2020|ProPublica
He escorted her downstairs to get a list of churches and other nonprofit groups that could help her gather enough money.
She Was Sued Over Rent She Didn’t Owe. It Took Seven Court Dates to Prove She Was Right.|by Danielle Ohl, Capital Gazette, and Talia Buford and Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica|August 25, 2020|ProPublica

One such change occurred on November 27, 2011, when the church attempted to unify the world’s English-speaking Catholics by having them all use the same wording.
Why do we miss the rituals put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic?|Sujata Gupta|August 14, 2020|Science News
The Via Dolorosa ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and is marked by nine stations of the cross.
Oops! Jesus’ Last Steps Are in the Wrong Place|Candida Moss|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Church bells pealed from St. Catherine of Siena parish one block away.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
If they returned to their church, they would be spared a second attack.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The church was not happy with his views, and there was talk of excommunication.
Mario Cuomo, a Frustrating Hero to Democrats, Is Dead at 82|Eleanor Clift|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In a 2009 interview, Church apostle Dallin H. Oaks held that the Church “does not have a position” on that point.
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Among the Perpendicular additions to the church last named may be noted a very beautiful oaken rood-screen.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4|Various
The east window in this church has been classed as the A1 of modern painted windows.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
He, with others, thinking the miss-sahib had gone to church, was smoking the hookah of gossip in a neighboring compound.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The cathedral is the only Spanish parochial church; it cares for two thousand four hundred souls.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
The Indians should have a suitable church of their own, and Serrano recommends that the king provide one for them.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for church (1 of 2)

church

/ (tʃɜːtʃ) /

noun

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

an occasion of public worship

the clergy as distinguished from the laity

(usually capital) institutionalized forms of religion as a political or social forceconflict between Church and State

(usually capital) the collective body of all Christians

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

(often capital) the Christian religion

(in Britain) the practices or doctrines of the Church of England and similar denominationsCompare chapel (def. 4b) Related adjective: ecclesiastical

verb (tr)

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

US to impose church discipline upon

Word Origin for church

Old English cirice, from Late Greek kurikon, from Greek kuriakon (dōma) the Lord's (house), from kuriakos of the master, from kurios master, from kuros power

British Dictionary definitions for church (2 of 2)

Church

/ (tʃɜːtʃ) /

noun

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

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

Cultural definitions for church

church

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with church

church

see poor as a churchmouse.

church

Origin of church

OTHER WORDS FROM church

Words nearby church

Other definitions for church (2 of 2)

Words related to church

How to use church in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for church (1 of 2)

Word Origin for church

British Dictionary definitions for church (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for church

Other Idioms and Phrases with church