congregation

[ kong-gri-gey-shuhn ]
See synonyms for congregation on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an assembly of persons brought together for common religious worship.

  2. the act of congregating or the state of being congregated.

  1. a gathered or assembled body; assemblage.

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

  3. the people of Israel. Exodus 12:3,6; Leviticus 4:13.

  4. New Testament. the Christian church in general.

  5. 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.

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

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

Origin of congregation

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English congregacio(u)n, from Anglo-French or directly from Latin congregātiōn- (stem of congregātiō ); see congregate, -ion

Words Nearby congregation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use congregation in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for congregation

congregation

/ (ˌkɒŋɡrɪˈɡeɪʃən) /


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

  2. the act of congregating or collecting together

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

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

  3. 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

  4. 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