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• communion
  communion

  noun

  Often Communion
• Communion
  Communion

  noun

  the act of participating in the Eucharist

communion

American  

[kuh-myoon-yuhn] / kəˈmjun jən /

noun

• communions
  plural

1. Also called Holy Communion. Christianity. Often Communion

   1. the celebration of the Eucharist .

   2. the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements.

   3. the elements of the Eucharist; the consecrated bread and wine.

   4. the antiphon sung at a Eucharistic service.

2. a group of persons having a common religious faith; a religious denomination.

   The Church of Pakistan is part of the Anglican communion.

   The organization promotes Islamic solidarity and fosters a sense of belonging to the Islamic communion worldwide.

3. a group of people sharing a profession, hobby, interest, etc..

   Just as there are rascals in the communion of bankers, editors, doctors, or barbers, so there are rascals among fishermen.

4. interchange or sharing of thoughts or emotions; intimate communication.

   Each day I spend some time walking the trails in communion with nature.

   The two enjoyed a wordless communion in the comfort of each other’s company.

5. association; fellowship.

   Light has no communion with darkness.

6. the act of sharing something or holding it in common, or the state of something so held.

   Fundamental to Scots law was the “communion of goods,” the joint ownership of property by spouses.

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Communion ¹ British  

/ kəˈmjuːnjən /

noun

1. the act of participating in the Eucharist

2. the celebration of the Eucharist, esp the part of the service during which the consecrated elements are received

3. 1. the consecrated elements of the Eucharist

   2. ( as modifier )

      Communion cup

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communion ² British  

/ kəˈmjuːnjən /

noun

1. an exchange of thoughts, emotions, etc

2. possession or sharing in common; participation

3. (foll by with) strong emotional or spiritual feelings (for)

   communion with nature

4. a religious group or denomination having a common body of beliefs, doctrines, and practices

5. the spiritual union held by Christians to exist between individual Christians and Christ, their Church, or their fellow Christians

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Communion Cultural  

1. A sacrament of Christianity. In a reenactment of the Last Supper, the words of Jesus — “This is my body” and “This is my blood” — are spoken over bread and wine (the elements of Communion), which are then shared by the worshipers. Communion, also known as the Eucharist, commemorates the death of Jesus. (See transubstantiation.)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-communion
  noun
• communionable
  adjective
• communional
  adjective
• communionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• communions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of communion

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin commūniōn-, stem of commūniō “mutual participation, sharing,” from commūn(is) common + -iō -ion

Explanation

A communion is an intimate connection. Many people enjoy hiking in the woods in order to have a sort of communion with nature. When you connect in a meaningful way with something, or intimately share your feelings with someone, you experience a communion. The word implies a deep connection, particularly a spiritual one. A Communion, with a capital C and also called Holy Communion, is a Christian religious service involving consecrated bread and wine. The Latin root of communion is communionem, meaning "fellowship, mutual participation, or sharing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

communion Communion communions

"But I'm really looking forward to it, getting back to an audience. There's nothing quite like the communion with an audience."

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Playing the Dead’s “Blues for Allah” on this tour — an LP rooted in Middle Eastern scales, pirouetting time signatures and improvisational telepathy — put him in communion with his old friend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

AFP reported on Sunday that among the many items becoming scarce were communion wafers.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Charlie taught me to love all parts of our Christian communion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

The trying forty days of Lent lay ahead of us, then the shining goal, Easter Sunday and first holy communion!

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Though I don’t regularly attend Mass, I fondly remember the two years in high school when I prepared for the sacrament of Communion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

"Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith" is far more reflective, and appears to be a deliberate attempt to set himself apart from Trump.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

From that point on, Communion, which came out on Tuesday, is a stiff and unimaginative political memoir.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

This essay is adapted from JD Vance’s new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, to be published by Harper on June 16.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

I remember watching other Catholics, girls in their Communion dresses and boys in their spit-shined shoes, walking down the street below our apartment, their mothers pushing prams and fathers strolling along beside.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

But, as Artie discovers, brief communions are possible, and redemption, however modest, is often near at hand.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

Orthodox Christianity is one of the largest Christian communions in the world — after Catholicism and the Protestant church.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 24, 2022

There are now two separate Orthodox communions within Ukraine: one following Moscow, and one answering to Kyiv.

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2022

"Birthdays, communions, whatever it is - it was all taken away," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2021

Christian charity teaches us there's good folks in all communions of believers.

From A Charming Fellow, Volume I (of 3) by Frances Eleanor Trollope

Related Words

• intimacy
• rapport
• togetherness