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church

church

∞ 1.0
A building where Christians meet to pray and worship
  • noun
  • /tʃɜrʧ/
: iglesia
  • Every Sunday, the community gathers at the church for a morning service.
  • a church building
  • a parish church
  • an old church

They raped my daughter, They burned my church, They beat up my priest.

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Examples

  • I'm just chilling, going to church and I'm rested.

  • Understandably, the structure of a rural church may differ decidedly from that of a megachurch.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Do you guys think you guys could like pick me up from church Tuesday night?

  • On my way to church, believe it or not.

  • We're on our way to church.

  • We're due at the church hall at 8:00.

  • His former home, which is adjacent to the church, is now part of University College.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Today I'm at a church in Belsize Park.

  • Even if someone doesn't go to church, their grandpa does.

  • I'm in a church.

Synonyms

chapel
vschurch
152 2.8

A small room for Christian worship often in a school or hospital

is a general Christian worship building rather than a small attached room
cathedral
vschurch
110 3.8

The main Christian church in an area where a bishop has their seat

is any Christian worship building not specifically the bishop's seat
place of worship
vschurch
15 2.9

A place where people meet to pray or have religious services

is a Christian building used for public worship not any location for rituals
house of God
vschurch
14 3.1

A building where people gather to pray, like a church

is the neutral term for the same Christian worship building
house of worship
vschurch
13 2.9

A building where people gather for prayer or religious services

is specific to Christian public worship rather than general use across faiths
megachurch
vschurch
8 5.0

A very large church that has thousands of people and many services

is any sized Christian worship building not limited to very large ones
church building
vschurch
4 1.0

A building where Christians meet to worship

is the shorter name for the same building
house of prayer
vschurch
1 3.8

A building where people meet to pray together

focuses on public Christian worship services rather than mainly prayer gatherings
minster
vschurch
  • UK
1 8.1

A large important church that is often part of a monastery and later becomes a cathedral

is a regular Christian worship building without historical or status links
conventicle
vschurch
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small building where people gather to worship, often used by Quakers

is the common public Christian worship building used by mainstream congregations

Idioms

1 7.6

Having almost no money

To enter a church reluctantly because you feel ashamed or guilty

Compounds

207 2.7

A Christian church led by the pope in Rome and present worldwide

138 1.0

People are in a church building when they go to a service or activity

A Protestant church where people who choose to join are often fully washed under water as a sign of faith

58 8.3

A country run by religious leaders where laws come from a religion

31 5.1

An American church that follows the Anglican tradition and is connected to the Church of England

A group of Christians with its own beliefs and ways of worship

28 2.2

A person who regularly goes to church and is part of its community

A Christian group that follows John Wesley's teaching and cares about personal faith and social justice

A meeting in a church where people pray, sing, and listen to a talk

21 3.5

A Christian church founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith and based in Salt Lake City, Utah

A Christian church led by the Pope in the Vatican that has its own teachings and services

A Christian church that follows John Calvin and has leaders called elders

A group of Christian churches that follow old Byzantine worship and traditions

16 1.1

A bell in a church tower that rings to call people to services or mark the time

A large Protestant church group in the United States formed in 1968

The national Christian church in England led by the Archbishop of Canterbury with the British monarch as its head

A Christian church started in 1830 by Joseph Smith, based in Salt Lake City

A Christian church that follows the teachings of Martin Luther

A religious group that teaches people to improve their spirit and overcome past problems

Churches that split from the Catholic Church and follow Christian teachings different from Catholic ones

7 3.4

A Christian church that the Pope leads in the Vatican

A Christian church that began in England with the British king or queen as its head

A Protestant Christian group in the United States formed in 1957 when two church groups joined

A set of official religious beliefs that a Christian church teaches

4 2.3

Music sung or played during Christian services

Church Father
  • Formal
4 9.9

A Christian writer from the early centuries whose writings help shape church teaching

A private school run by a church that teaches religion and regular subjects

A building where Christians meet to worship

A large Eastern Christian church in Russia led by a church leader called the Patriarch

A Protestant Christian group where each local church makes its own decisions

Christian churches that came from the Byzantine tradition, for example the Eastern Orthodox Church

Land, buildings, or money that a church owns for its religious use

3 4.6

The main Orthodox Christian church in Greece that governs itself

People who guide and manage a church and its members

A church the government officially supports as the country's main church

The main Christian church in Greece that follows the Eastern Orthodox tradition

A Protestant Christian group that believes God is one, not three

A Christian community in Egypt with old traditions and its own way of worship

The Christian church in Rome led by the Pope

A branch of the Christian church based in Rome led by the pope and bishops

1 2.1

A tall part of a church that often has bells

A group of Christian churches that follow Eastern ways of worship and do not accept the Pope's authority

A religious group from South Korea started by Sun Myung Moon that mixes Christian ideas and holds large group weddings

A Protestant group that uses the Bible as the only guide and baptizes by putting people fully into water

1 9.6

A saint in the Roman Catholic Church honored for important religious teaching and writing

A Christian group that lives simply and seeks peace

1 9.9

A leading early Christian writer whose teachings helped form church beliefs

An independent Christian church in Armenia founded around 300 AD

A Christian church also called the Eastern Orthodox Church that follows Byzantine rites

1 5.1

A yearly cycle of seasons and special days that Christians observe, like Christmas and Easter

1 8.9

A group in the Anglican Church that uses formal, Catholic-style services and rituals

A celebration at a church with food, music, and a special service

The Christian church in the Eastern Roman Empire with old worship services and traditions

1 7.4

A decorative, often large hat that some women, especially Black women, wear to church on Sundays

A group of churches that left the Roman Catholic Church over the pope's authority

A Christian religious group that believes prayer can heal people and follows the writings of Mary Baker Eddy

A Protestant Christian group that opposes military service, refuses to take legal oaths and baptizes by three full immersions

A Christian church in Ireland that was once part of the Church of England but now runs itself

church key
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A small metal tool for making holes to open cans

1 1.4

A long wooden seat with a back for people to sit in a church

A calendar showing Christian holy days, festivals, and fasting times throughout the year

A person who has an official job in a church and helps lead it

A small religious group with unusual beliefs and practices outside larger churches

A Christian church in the United States that comes from the Church of England

1 5.1

A list of people who belong to a church

A branch of the Anglican Church that follows many Catholic-style rituals and ceremonies

Old Church Slavonic
  • Literature
1 9.9

An early Slavic language used in the ninth century to translate the Bible and other church texts

A Christian church in the Middle East that taught Jesus had two separate natures

A Christian group in the United States formed when the Congregational Church and the Christian Church joined

A Christian church in Scotland that is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion

A Christian church group that follows John Wesley's teachings

church mode
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A pattern of musical notes used in old church music that gives a melody its own sound

A Protestant Christian church formed in 1934 when two American churches joined

How Big

megachurch
8 5.0
cathedral
4 6.6
church
∞ 1.0
chapel
152 2.8

Surface Forms

church singular
churches plural

Etymology

Church comes from an old Greek word kyriakon meaning 'belonging to the Lord', so it originally meant the 'Lord's house' where people go to worship.