rite
Americannoun
-
rites
plural
-
a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use.
rites of baptism; sacrificial rites.
- Synonyms:
- usage, form, observance
-
a particular form or system of religious or other ceremonial practice.
the Roman rite.
-
(often initial capital letter) a liturgy or liturgical system, especially one of the historical versions of the Eucharistic service.
the Anglican Rite.
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) a division or differentiation of churches based on liturgical practice.
-
any customary observance or practice.
the rite of afternoon tea.
noun
-
a formal act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious ceremonies
fertility rites
the rite of baptism
-
a particular body of such acts or procedures, esp of a particular Christian Church
the Latin rite
-
a Christian Church
the Greek rite
Synonym Usage
See ceremony.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rite
1275–1325; Middle English (< Old French rit ( e )) < Latin rītus
Explanation
A rite is a ceremony or event that leads to a new phase of life, like high school graduation or a bat mitzvah. Rites are rituals. Religions in particular have many rites, which include celebrations and sacraments such as baptism or confession. But people also use this word for any kind of event that signifies moving through a stage of life. For a football player, getting your first touchdown is a "rite of passage." Even a job interview could be considered a rite — it's a traditional ritual, something everyone has to go through before landing a first job.
Vocabulary lists containing rite
Unit 3: Compelling Evidence
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
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The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Annual school photographs are a rite of passage but, with technology now able to remove watermarks from preview images in seconds, some parents are bypassing the payment process altogether.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Majumdar said the procedure is so common in teens that many baseball families regard it as “a rite of passage”: “They can be elite now that they’ve had their Tommy John surgery.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Jess Douek, a singer who has chronic pain, has won funding to create Bristol's first fully-accessible grassroots music venue so emerging disabled artists aren't "locked out of that rite of passage".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Getting bangs was a local rite of passage; even if they flopped, I’d be setting out on the same Hero’s Journey as most of my new neighborhood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The Fern who’d be too nervous to do her rite two years early.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
In the locker room before a high-school all-star game, I was initiated into the secular rites of the local public-school powerhouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
At least three individuals were rescued after suffering injuries this summer at Sunset Cliffs, leading police to ramp up enforcement as locals debate the need for safety versus the merits of youthful rites of passage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Officials said DNA samples were taken from the bodies so that families could later claim them and perform traditional funeral rites.
From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026
It made up for missed teenage rites of passage — the senior prom, the homecoming dance, the debutante ball — by doubling down on sentimentality.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Her participation in these ancient rites helped her to earn the approval and respect of her subjects.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
