synagogue
Americannoun
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a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction.
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an assembly or congregation of Jews for the purpose of religious worship.
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the Jewish religion; Judaism.
noun
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a building for Jewish religious services and usually also for religious instruction
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( as modifier )
synagogue services
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a congregation of Jews who assemble for worship or religious study
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the religion of Judaism as organized in such congregations
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of synagogue
1125–75; Middle English synagoge < Late Latin synagōga < Greek synagōgḗ assembly, meeting, equivalent to syn- syn- + agōgḗ, noun use of feminine of agōgós (adj.) gathering, derivative of ágein to bring, lead; akin to Latin agere to drive
Explanation
A synagogue is a Jewish house of worship. A synagogue, sometimes called a temple or a shul, is for Jews what a church is for Christians, or a mosque for Muslims, or a temple for Hindus. The word comes from the Greek roots sun "together" and agein "bring" — it's a building where worshipers are brought together.
Vocabulary lists containing synagogue
It's Lit: Hanukkah Words
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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World Religions
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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.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the team reconstructed a monumental bath gymnasium complex and the largest synagogue in the ancient world.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
Later in life, she requested that he build her a synagogue near their estate outside Paris, a wish he fulfilled with characteristic devotion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
After our visit to Adat Reyim, an inclusive, independent synagogue in Springfield, Virginia, I befriended its spiritual leader, Rabbi Bruce Aft.
From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026
I do advise couples to have some — at the very least — preliminary discussions about finances before taking their romance to the wedding chapel, synagogue or registry office.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
I was thinking of the synagogue on Saturday and a cathedral on Sunday.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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.
