sacrament

American  

[sak-ruh-muhnt] / ˈsæk rə mənt /

noun

1. Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, especially one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord's Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.

2. Also called Holy Sacrament.  (often initial capital letter) the Eucharist or Lord's Supper.

3. the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, especially the bread.

4. something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.

5. a sign, token, or symbol.

6. an oath; solemn pledge.

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sacrament British  

/ ˈsækrəmənt /

noun

1. an outward sign combined with a prescribed form of words and regarded as conferring some specific grace upon those who receive it. The Protestant sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Churches they are baptism, penance, confirmation, the Eucharist, holy orders, matrimony, and the anointing of the sick (formerly extreme unction)

2. (often capital) the Eucharist

3. the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp the bread

4. something regarded as possessing a sacred or mysterious significance

5. a symbol; pledge

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sacrament Cultural  

1. A religious ceremony or rite. Most Christian churches reserve the term for those rites that Jesus himself instituted, but there are disagreements between them on which rites those are. The Lutheran Church, for example, maintains that baptism and Communion are the only sacraments, whereas in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, there are five more: confirmation; confession; anointing of the sick; the ordination of clergy; and the marriage of Christians.

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Etymology

Origin of sacrament

1150–1200; Middle English < Medieval Latin sacrāmentum obligation, oath, Late Latin: mystery, rite, equivalent to Latin sacrā ( re ) to devote + -mentum -ment

Explanation

A sacrament is a religious ceremony or rite. Sacraments are important holy events to members of that religion. Different religions recognize different sacraments. If you're a Protestant, you might attend a baptism, yet if you're Roman Catholic, you would include confirmation and matrimony among the various ceremonies you attend. Usually a holy person like a priest or minister needs to perform a sacrament. A less religious definition of this word is to think of a sacrament as something that is sacred or mysterious: a serious baseball fan might think of visiting Fenway Park as a sacrament.

Example Sentences

Perhaps he didn’t understand the new Protestant Communion—rather than at an altar, the sacrament now took place over a table covered with a simple cloth—and he was pleading that someone explain it to him.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

L.A. is a city of reinvention, where second chances are a civic sacrament and residents often overlook the flaws of the famous.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

He describes a large rustic loaf “held close to the heart,” sliced toward the body in a communal sacrament, representing an elemental and ancient loaf unsullied by ultra-processing or bleached flour.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2025

Catholicism also makes a ceremony of transubstantiating flesh into a sacrament to feed the soul.

From Salon • Oct. 4, 2024

The father crossed himself, nodded a scared-rabbit kind of thank you, and hurried out to report the sacrament to his wife.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• communion
• liturgy