congregation

[ kong-gri-gey-shuh n ]

/ ˌkɒŋ grɪˈgeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR congregation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an assembly of persons brought together for common religious worship.

the act of congregating or the state of being congregated.

a gathered or assembled body; assemblage.

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

the people of Israel. Ex. 12:3,6; Lev. 4:13.

New Testament. the Christian church in general.

Roman Catholic Church.

a committee of cardinals or other ecclesiastics.
a community of men or women, either with or without vows, observing a common rule.

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

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

Nearby words

congratulations, congratulatory, congregant, congregate, congregate housing, congregation, congregational, congregational church, congregationalism, congregationalists, congress

Origin of congregation

1300–50; Middle English congregacio(u)n (< Anglo-French) < Latin congregātiōn- (stem of congregātiō); see congregate, -ion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for congregation

The congregation was warm, friendly, and welcoming—traits, he says, he later came to believe they used to coax members in.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One woman, BB, is a former pastor who was outed to her congregation before she could even tell her loved ones.
Mississippi Is Hell for These Lesbians|Emily Shire|August 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Members of the congregation will join in hymns during the performance.
The First Americans to Observe the 4th Were Moravian Pacifists|Linda C. Brinson|July 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I asked a question once, from the top lay-member of our congregation in Greenhaven.
A Jewish Ex-Con Recalls Keeping Kosher with the Faithful in Prison|Daniel Genis|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The New York Board of Rabbis would send in cases of macaroons for the congregation at every Passover.
A Jewish Ex-Con Recalls Keeping Kosher with the Faithful in Prison|Daniel Genis|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The congregation is very small, consisting almost exclusively of women, who seem to do penance for both sexes in Cuba.
Foot-prints of Travel|Maturin M. Ballou
The congregation was not proportioned to the size of the great edifice.
Our Hundred Days in Europe|Oliver Wendell Holmes
It is not hard to make for oneself a colourful picture of a typical Sunday congregation in these dead and gone days.
Greenwich Village|Anna Alice Chapin
Again, "Disturbing the Congregation" is an etching subject, elaborated.
The Life Of George Cruikshank, Vol. II. (of II)|Blanchard Jerrold
One congregation dwells below on the shore by the sea, the other is in the castle above.
The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela|Benjamin of Tudela

British Dictionary definitions for congregation

congregation

/ (ˌkɒŋɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən) /

noun

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

the act of congregating or collecting together

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

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

RC Church

a society of persons who follow a common rule of life but who are bound only by simple vows
Also called: dicastery an administrative subdivision of the papal curia
an administrative committee of bishops for arranging the business of a general council

mainly British an assembly of senior members of a university

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

congregation

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of congregation

Examples from the Web for congregation

British Dictionary definitions for congregation

congregation

noun