Skip to main content
house of worship

house of worship

11 2.9
A building where people gather for prayer or religious services
  • noun
translation icon : lugar de culto
  • The community gathers every Sunday at the local house of worship for services.
  • houses of worship for religious
  • activities in houses of worship

The week before, another blaze destroyed a beautiful House of worship in Islington.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • And in countless instances, it is the only house of worship in the village or town.

    Academic text (2001)
  • Many people find peace and comfort in their house of worship during difficult times.

  • This is a house of worship.

  • If I did this in a house of worship, that would be fine.

  • This is a house of worship!

  • The United States has more houses of worship per capita than any other nation on earth.

  • Americans are free to start houses of worship and other religious entities as they see fit.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Visits to local houses of worship can also be helpful in enhancing knowledge.

    Academic text (2011)
  • If nothing else, can't they even respect a house of worship?

    Academic text (2009)
  • Prior to the tornado, seven houses of worship served Greensburg's religious needs.

    Academic text (2011)

Synonyms

church
vshouse of worship
1.0

A building where Christians meet to pray and worship

covers that use but is not limited to one religion or tradition
temple
vshouse of worship
365 3.4

A building where people go to worship a god, for example in Hindu or ancient Greek religions

is neutral about which god or religion the building serves
mosque
vshouse of worship
182 2.8

A building where Muslims pray, often with a tall tower called a minaret

refers to buildings for worship across different faiths, not one religion
shrine
vshouse of worship
126 4.1

A holy place where people go to pray and honor a saint or sacred object

is about general gathering places for regular services rather than relics
synagogue
vshouse of worship
100 3.8

A building where Jewish people meet to pray and learn

is the general phrase for any religion's worship building
sanctuary
vshouse of worship
55 5.5

A holy part of a religious building around the altar

refers to whole buildings used for services rather than one sacred area
holy place
vshouse of worship
14 3.5

A place where people go to pray, like a temple or church

focuses on regular communal services and prayer rather than sacred status
place of worship
vshouse of worship
14 2.9

A place where people meet to pray or have religious services

has identical meaning but is the original headword phrasing used here
house of God
vshouse of worship
9 3.1

A building where people gather to pray, like a church

is the neutral term for any building used for services or prayer
bethel
vshouse of worship
8 9.9

A place where people pray that is often used by sailors

is the neutral modern term for any gathering building for services
tabernacle
vshouse of worship
7 9.9

A large building used by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for worship

is the general label for buildings used by any religion for services
masjid
vshouse of worship
7 8.2

A building where Muslims go to pray

is the general term for buildings used by any religion for worship
church building
vshouse of worship
4 1.0

A building where Christians meet to worship

is the broad category including that building type among others
house of prayer
vshouse of worship
1 3.8

A building where people meet to pray together

is broader, covering any religious service building not only congregational prayer
meetinghouse
vshouse of worship
1 8.4

A simple building where people meet for religious services, often used by Quakers

is the general term covering assemblies from all traditions
oratory
vshouse of worship
1 8.1

A small chapel or room used for private prayer

is the larger category including both private rooms and whole buildings
mandir
vshouse of worship
  • Indian
1 7.5

A Hindu temple where people go to pray

is wider, covering buildings used by different faith groups
jama
vshouse of worship
  • Indian
9.9

A building where people meet for prayer or community events

is centered on religious services broadly rather than meetings specifically
conventicle
vshouse of worship
  • Archaic
9.9

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

is broader and not tied to a particular historical or religious group

How Religious

cathedral
6.6
church
1.0
house of worship
11 2.9
meetinghouse
1 8.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

house + of + worship

The meaning 'a building for religious services' is directly derivable from combining 'house' (a building) with 'worship' (religious devotion) using the common English 'X of Y' composition. This is a transparent, compositional pattern found cross-linguistically (e.g. 'casa de culto'/'lieu de culte'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

House of worship comes from the simple image of a house as a building where people do worship, meaning 'to pray or show respect to a religion'. So it became the common name for 'a building where people gather for religious services'.