1
as in temple
a building for public worship and especially Christian worship
a city that is noted for its many historic churches
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in congregation
a body of persons gathered for religious worship
spoke to the whole church at once
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in clergy
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church
a time when few young men seem to want to join the church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of church
About half of the church’s 140 parishioners live in Castaic.
—
Corina Knoll, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
The county will provide additional space, bedding and meals at a local church that partners with the Mission this week if its capacity overflows.
—Silas Morgan, Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2025
The Pope will open five Holy Doors at churches around the Vatican, including St. Peter's Basilica.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Potholes: The Send Relief Serve Tour — run by a group that partners with churches, local organizations and government officials on community projects — is coming to San Diego, and one of its initiatives is to identify potholes in La Jolla.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for church 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for church
Noun
-
In 2021, while an associate curator at one of New York City’s temples of experimental contemporary art, the Swiss institute, curator Daniel Merritt said that art history played a role is his practice, but was not a hill to die on.—
-
Time is also spent in the temples and museums of Ulaanbaatar.—
Noun
-
In Los Angeles, Reverend Maria Elena Montalvo of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church said her congregation has provided sanctuary for immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers since 2016.—
-
In retirement, the grandfather of four found joy in taking walks at sunrise around the Rose Bowl, watching his beloved San Francisco 49ers and serving as head deacon of his congregation at Weller Street Baptist Church, his daughter said.—
Noun
-
The one difference was that there was a huge number of clergy in the D.C. area that wanted to join me in making a statement.—
-
Highland’s founders — a group of respected Black clergy and business owners — aimed both to fulfill this unmet need and to establish a reputation of excellence.—
Noun
-
The dolls were displayed in a former chapel that is now part of the O.K. Linz museum (also known as O.K. Center for Contemporary Art), where the glass doors were shattered.—
-
Andrea Mitchell, who got her start at NBC News during the Carter administration, was spotted in one of the cathedral chapels, which doubled as a warming room for reporters doing stand-ups or waiting for the clear to enter the cathedral itself.—
Noun
-
Image Most of the tributes to Mr. Carter avoided the pointed commentary of recent funerals at the cathedral for President George H.W. Bush and Senator John McCain that were at times seen as rebukes of Mr. Trump.—
-
At the cathedral, Ted Mondale, son of Walter Mondale, Carter’s vice president, is expected to read a eulogy his father wrote for Carter before his own death in 2021.—
Noun
-
The history of the concert hall goes back to over a century ago when it was first constructed as a tabernacle for religious gatherings.—
-
The demand of the people, of the families, of the fallen, must permeate here, must be reflected from here, must become a decree engraved on the walls of this tabernacle.—
Thesaurus Entries Near church
Cite this Entry
“Church.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/church. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share