- [countable] an offence against God or against a religious or moral law
- to commit a sin
- Confess your sins to God and he will forgive you.
- God forgives our sins.
- The Bible says that stealing is a sin.
Collocations ReligionReligionBeing religioussee also deadly sin, mortal sin, original sin- believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
- be/become a believer/an atheist/an agnostic/a Christian/Muslim/Hindu/Buddhist, etc.
- convert to/practise a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
- go to church/(North American English) temple (= the synagogue)
- go to the local church/mosque/synagogue/gurdwara
- belong to a church/a religious community
- join/enter the church/a convent/a monastery/a religious sect/the clergy/the priesthood
- praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
- attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
- perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a mitzvah
- carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite
- go on/make a pilgrimage
- celebrate Christmas/Easter/Eid/Ramadan/Hanukkah/Passover/Diwali
- observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
- deliver/preach/hear a sermon
- lead/address the congregation
- say/recite a prayer/blessing
- preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam
- study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
- read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the gospel/the Torah
- be based on/derive from divine revelation
- commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
- seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
- strengthen/lose your faith
- keep/practise/practice/abandon the faith
- save/purify/lose your soul
- obey/follow/keep/break/violate a commandment/Islamic law/Jewish law
- be/accept/do God’s will
- receive/experience divine grace
- achieve/attain enlightenment/salvation/nirvana
- undergo a conversion/rebirth/reincarnation
- hear/answer a prayer
- commit/confess/forgive a sin
- do/perform penance
Extra Examples- It's considered a sin to be disrespectful to your parents.
- Even politicians are not immune from the sins of the flesh.
- Our sons will pay for the sins of their fathers.
- We believe in the forgiveness of sins.
- We have repented for past sins. Now it's time to move on.
- Father, I have committed a sin.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- deadly
- mortal
- …
- commit
- confess
- repent
- …
- tax
- bin
- sin against
- sin of
- the forgiveness of sin
- the forgiveness of sins
- the seven deadly sins
- …
- [uncountable] the act of breaking a religious or moral law
- a life of sin
- Believers are called on to turn away from sin and embrace a life of prayer.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- deadly
- mortal
- …
- commit
- confess
- repent
- …
- tax
- bin
- sin against
- sin of
- the forgiveness of sin
- the forgiveness of sins
- the seven deadly sins
- …
- [countable, usually singular] (informal) an action that people think is very bad
- It's a sin to waste taxpayers' money like that.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- cardinal
- deadly
- mortal
- …
- commit
- confess
- repent
- …
- tax
- bin
- sin against
- sin of
- the forgiveness of sin
- the forgiveness of sins
- the seven deadly sins
- …
Word Originnoun Old English synn (noun), syngian (verb); probably related to Latin sons, sont- ‘guilty’.
Idioms
See sin in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee sin in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe/do something for your sins
- (especially British English, informal, humorous) used to say that something that somebody does is like a punishment
- She works with us in Accounts, for her sins!
cover/hide a multitude of sins
- (often humorous) to hide the real situation or facts when these are not good or pleasant
- It's a shabby old sofa but cushions and throws can hide a multitude of sins.
live in sin
- (old-fashioned or humorous) to live together and have a sexual relationship without being married
(as) miserable/ugly as sin
- (informal) used to emphasize that somebody is very unhappy or uglyMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
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sin