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• established church
  established church

  noun

  a church that is recognized by law, and sometimes financially supported, as the official church of a nation.
• Established Church
  Established Church

  noun

  a Church that is officially recognized as a national institution, esp the Church of England

established church

American  

noun

1. a church that is recognized by law, and sometimes financially supported, as the official church of a nation.

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Established Church British  

noun

1. a Church that is officially recognized as a national institution, esp the Church of England

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established church ¹ Cultural  

1. A church supported by the government as a national institution. The Church of England is an established church in England, as is the Lutheran Church in the countries of Scandinavia and the Presbyterian Church in Scotland.

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established church ² Cultural  

1. A religious denomination that receives financial and other support from the government, often to the exclusion of support for other denominations. (See under “World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.”)

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Etymology

Origin of established church

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

established church Established Church

Before it was formed after the American Revolution, Anglicanism was the established church of the Virginia colony.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2022

“Cures and charms go way beyond the established church, it predates Christianity,” Dr. Moore said.

From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2021

When the United States was founded, most countries around the world had an established church or religion—an officially sponsored set of religious beliefs and values.

From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021

It started with the Anglican Church, or Church of England, the first established church of the Virginia colony.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 8, 2020

One offered a stipend of $3000 a year and manse, and an established church with 900 members, and located under the shadow of a great university.

From The Shepherd Psalm A Meditation by William Evans

With the spiritual might of the Established Church behind him, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave Pakenham's view his unqualified support.

From Time Magazine Archive

He points out that although the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Established Church in England is strong among the clergy, especially in Canterbury, yet the movement has but a weak hold on the laity.

From Time Magazine Archive

The bishops will have to vote on them in March, the Church as a whole in July, and later Parliament, for in the end Parliament controls the Established Church in Egland.

From Time Magazine Archive

For the first time in centuries, the Commons of Great Britain reversed, last week, a vital decision by the Peers and Bishops touching the very life of the Established Church of England.

From Time Magazine Archive

There was much persecution of Dissenters by the Established Church.

From Famous American Statesmen by Sarah Knowles Bolton