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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

By tomorrow, in communion with millions of others, they will be able to say: "I saw it!"

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

And yet fans suspend their cynicism for a few hours — for a tournament, for a season — because they know that the communion that soccer offers is pure and holy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

It means a baptised follower is "out of communion" with the Church - meaning they cannot receive the sacraments, for example going to confession, or get married within the Roman Catholic Church.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

This capacity for wonder reveals the deepest human desire for communion and eternal love.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

That blank look would remain on his face until Father Benedict ended the sermon, until it was time for communion.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The head of the Catholic Church will then head to Rimini, a popular seaside city on the Adriatic, for the annual gathering of Communion and Liberation, a Christian group.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

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

He tells us we have to be careful to stick out our tongues far enough so that the Communion wafer won’t fall to the floor.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

She also photographs baptisms and first communions and is now testing recipes that incorporate cacao, coconut, lime and other regional crops with hopes of opening a café.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2023

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

From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2022

Five Christian world communions — including the World Communion of Reformed Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and the Mennonite World Conference — will be holding a joint Ash Wednesday prayer service for peace in Ukraine.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 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