- 1a talk on a moral or religious subject, usually given by a religious leader during a service 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- lecture
- address
- talk
- sermon
- speech a formal talk given to an audience:Several people made speeches at the wedding.
- lecture a talk given to a group of people to tell them about a particular subject, often as part of a university or college course:a lecture on the Roman army a course/series of lectures
- address a formal speech given to an audience:a televised presidential address
- A speech can be given on a public or private occasion; an address is always public:He gave an address at the wedding.
- talk a fairly informal session in which someone tells a group of people about a subject:She gave an interesting talk on her visit to China.
- sermon a talk on a moral or religious subject, usually given by a religious leader during a service:to preach a sermon
- a long/short speech/lecture/address/talk/sermon
- a keynote speech/lecture/address
- to prepare/give/deliver/hear a(n) speech/lecture/address/talk/sermon
- to write a speech/sermon
- to attend/go to a lecture/talk
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- 2(informal) (usually disapproving) moral advice that a person tries to give you in a long talk We had to listen to a long sermon on the evils of wasting time.
Check pronunciation: sermon