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church

church

305 1.0
A religious service for Christians
  • noun
  • /tʃɜrʧ/
translation icon : servicio religioso
  • The people carrying incense and rosemary accompanied San Francisco into the church where prayers were recited.
  • a church service
  • go to church
  • attend church

We were holding, we were holding church in that bar.

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Examples

Synonyms

service
vschurch
367 4.2

A religious meeting for public worship, often in a church

is used for ceremonies specifically held in Christian places of worship
liturgy
vschurch
26 8.9

A planned public worship service with fixed prayers and actions

is about the full ceremony in a Christian place rather than only its form
church service
vschurch
19 2.1

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

is the neutral term for the same religious ceremony
chapel
vschurch
12 3.5

A short religious service often held at a school

refers specifically to ceremonies in main Christian worship places not institutional ones
prayer service
vschurch
8 3.0

A religious meeting where people talk to God and sing songs

is broader, covering any formal worship ceremony beyond prayer-focused gatherings
8 2.9

A formal event where people meet to show shared beliefs with prayers and rituals

is reserved for ceremonies held in Christian places of worship rather than any religious ritual
5 2.8

A public event where people pray, sing, and listen in a church or temple

is limited to ceremonies held specifically in Christian places of worship
religious rite
vschurch
2 4.1

A formal ceremony that people follow as part of a religion

is the whole worship ceremony held in Christian places rather than a single ritual
chapel service
vschurch
1 4.5

A short religious meeting in a small church with prayers and songs

is used for ceremonies in main Christian worship buildings rather than small institutional ones
7.2

A set way churches use for worship with prayers and hymns

focuses on the whole worship event rather than the exact prescribed form
ceremonial mass
vschurch
  • Formal
6.1

A formal church service with set ceremonies and a serious mood

is the general term for such ceremonies without stressing ritual solemnity

Idioms

1 7.6

Having almost no money

To enter a church reluctantly because you feel ashamed or guilty

Compounds

129 2.7

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

50 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

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

18 2.2

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

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

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

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

11 3.5

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

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

11 5.1

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

A Christian church that follows the teachings of Martin Luther

9 1.1

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

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

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

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

A building where Christians meet to worship

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

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

4 2.3

Music sung or played during Christian services

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

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

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

A set of official religious beliefs that a Christian church teaches

Church Father
  • Formal
3 9.9

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

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

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

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

People who guide and manage a church and its members

2 3.4

A Christian church that the Pope leads in the Vatican

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

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

1 8.3

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

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

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

The Christian church in Rome led by the Pope

1 2.1

A tall part of a church that often has bells

1 9.6

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

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

church key
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A small metal tool for making holes to open cans

1 5.1

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

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

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

1 5.4

A Scottish church that follows the Anglican tradition and is independent

1 9.9

A leading early Christian writer whose teachings helped form church beliefs

A Christian group that lives simply and seeks peace

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

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

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

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

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

7.4

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

church mode
  • Specialized
9.9

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

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

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

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

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

A list of people who belong to a church

Church Slavic
  • Literature
9.9

A literary Slavic language that Orthodox churches use for worship and Bible translation

9.9

A Slavic language used in Orthodox church services, based on Old Church Slavonic from the 9th century

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

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

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

A Protestant church that teaches people can choose to be saved

A Christian church in Armenia that began around year 300 and keeps old traditions

An independent Christian church in Armenia founded around 300 AD

A former Protestant group that joined the Methodist Church to form the United Methodist Church in 1968

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

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

The main Orthodox Christian church in Greece that governs itself

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

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

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

How Formal

ceremonial mass
  • Formal
6.1
ceremony
901 2.5
church
305 1.0
service
367 4.2

Surface Forms

church singular
churches plural

Etymology

Church can mean the religious service held in that building because the 'Lord's house' from kyriakon 'belonging to the Lord' is where the service happens, so the same word was used for the ceremony.