TOP

Definition of church noun from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

      

    church

     noun
    noun
    NAmE//tʃərtʃ//
     
     
    jump to other results
  1. 1[countable] a building where Christians go to worship a church tower The procession moved into the church. church services
  2. 2[uncountable] a service or services in a church How often do you go to church? They're at church (= attending a church service). They're in church. Church is at 9 o'clock. Topic CollocationsReligionbeing religious
    • believe in God/Christ/Allah/free will/predestination/heaven and hell/an afterlife/reincarnation
    • be/become an agnostic/an atheist/a believer/a Buddhist/Christian/Hindu/Muslim, etc.
    • convert to/practice a religion/Buddhism/Catholicism/Christianity/Islam/Judaism, etc.
    • go to church/temple (= the synagogue)
    • go to the local church/mosque/synagogue
    • belong to a church/a religious community
    • join/enter the Church/a convent/a monastery/the clergy/the priesthood/a religious sect/a cult
    • praise/worship/obey/serve/glorify God
    celebrations and ritual
    • attend/hold/conduct/lead a service
    • perform a ceremony/a rite/a ritual/a baptism/the Hajj/a bar mitzvah/a bat mitzvah
    • carry out/perform a sacred/burial/funeral/fertility/purification rite/the last rites
    • go on/make a pilgrimage
    • celebrate Christmas/Diwali/Easter/Eid/Hanukkah/Passover/Ramadan
    • observe/break the Sabbath/a fast/Ramadan
    • deliver/preach/hear a sermon
    • lead/address the congregation
    • say/recite a prayer/blessing
    religious texts and ideas
    • preach/proclaim/spread the word of God/the Gospel/the message of Islam/a message
    • study/follow the dharma/the teachings of Buddha
    • read/study/understand/interpret scripture/the Bible/the Koran/the Gospel/the Torah
    • be based on/derived from divine revelation
    • commit/consider something heresy/sacrilege
    religious belief and experience
    • seek/find/gain enlightenment/wisdom
    • strengthen/lose/question your faith
    • keep/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
     GrammarschoolWhen a school is being referred to as an institution, you do not need to use the:When do the children finish school?When you are talking about a particular building, the is used:I’ll meet you outside the school.Prison, jail, court, and church work in the same way:Her husband spent three years in prison. She drove by the prison every day.
  3. 3Church [countable] a particular group of Christians the Episcopal Church the Catholic Church the Reformed Churches see denomination
  4. 4(the) Church [singular] the ministers of the Christian religion; the institution of the Christian religion The Church has a duty to condemn violence. the conflict between Church and State to go into the Church (= to become a Christian minister)
See church in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
Check pronunciation: church

Nearby words